Win Her Back, Idiot Scientist!
by Blue Sky Of Love
Summary: [THIS STORY IS UNDER A MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION AT THE MOMENT] Naru didn't know that it was Mai who saved his brother's life. They have a major arguement which lead to Mai's quitting SPR. Two years later, they met in unexpected setting! Mai's past will be revealed, many OC will be introduced. Can our favorite Naru win her back again, when Mai declared that she no longer loves him?
1. He's Alive?

**Chapter 1 – He's… alive?**

I obviously don't own Ghost Hunt. Because if I did? I will resurrect Gene… xDD

* * *

They are both standing back to back with a large tree in between them. Mai don't know what to say after she knew about Gene – Naru's brother, not just a brother, but his twin brother.

"Ne Naru…" she inhaled deeply, and then she continues "…I like you… in a special way." She said, she's not sure if Naru heard the last part though.

Silence.

_Eh? He left already?_ She thought.

She look up. Without knowing that he's already looking at her – at her eyes, that reflects all of her emotions.

"Are you sure it's me?" He asked coldly.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Are you sure it's me that you like, or… Gene?"

She's shocked. While she's still digesting what just he said, he continues, "I don't know that you're really that stupid and idiot, to confuse your feelings."

She's about to answer when Lin arrive and told them that they already found Gene's body. With that, Naru turned around and follow Lin, leaving her alone. She cried. Although she already _**knew **_that he will reject her, but it still hurts. Her premonition came true, and she didn't regret it. When she went to the shore, there's a ruckus going on, and she saw a glowing red light around the body that wrapped in a yellow tarp. She feels dizzy, as she approach the body, the mark on her chest starting to glow, and it hurts her a lot! Her head hurts like hell.

_What the hell is going on?!_ She asks herself.

"Naru…" she called, as she walks towards him "What's going on?" referring to the body. He just look at her, with his cold eyes. She looked at him, and to Lin, they both have confused looks in their faces.

"Someone put a barrier and a shield on him…" Lin answered her question. "…protecting him underwater."

_Barrier. Shield. Underwater. Protect. _These words echoed in Mai's mind.

_A girl, wearing house slippers, run towards the body lying on the middle of the road, in the middle of night. She can still see the car parked not so far away. Without another thought, she concentrated her life energy into her hands and she push it into his head and chest._

"_It will protect you, until he finds you. I will make a barrier and shied to protect you underwater. And I will leave all my shikis with you to keep you alive." The girl makes hand seals, and murmuring some spells. And she puts her hand his abdomen, letting him receive her energy and power. _

"_Un…der…water…?" he asked._

"_Yes, that woman will damp you in the lake."_

"_how… did… you… know….?"_

"_I… have a vision… or rather, a premonition. And your brother, I let him show another version of your accident. I will show him that you die. So that, he will come here and find you, wherever he is."_

"_if… I can't make it… can you tell him… that… I'm sorry… I went here alone…" He said, between heavy breathing._

_The girl nodded. "I'm sure he will find you..." she smile "just, wait for him to come"_

Tears flowing like river in Mai's eyes. _What was that? A vision? A memory? _She asks herself.

"-ai! Mai!" she snapped out from thinking when she heard someone calling her name. "Mai!" she looks up, seeing Naru, with a worried expression in his – uhm, eyes.

"Na…ru" she whispered. "Call an ambulance… you can still save him."

Naru froze at Mai's statement. _Did she really love him, that she refuse to accept that he's dead?_ He thought. And his thought makes him jealous, from his own brother. He put his hands on Mai's shoulder. But before he can say another word, he heard Lin calling him, and whispers something to him. His eyes widen for a moment, and he pick up his phone calling for an ambulance. He wanted to ask Mai, on how did she know, but she's no longer with him, when he turned around, he saw her at his brother's side, saying something.

He clenched his fist, _Gene… you also win her huh? Even if you're underwater for so long time, you still manage to win her heart. _He thought for a moment. The red light surrounding Gene's body suddenly disappeared and Mai collapsed beside him. He went to her side and carried him back to the cottage. There he saw everyone in SPR, he was still at the door when they already bombard him with questions.

"Enough!" he yelled. "She fainted beside Gene's body. Mitsuzaki-san, check on her." After he handed her to Ayako, he went back to the shore, leaving his members with a confused looks on their faces.

He needs an explanation from Lin, on how is it possible.

"_Noll, he's still breathing. Call an ambulance, we can still save him." _That's what Lin whispered to him a while ago.

Lin is still at the shore, waiting for the ambulance as he watch Gene's body. He still can't believe it that he's alive, breathing, and no major injuries from the accident. When the divers found the body, he sensed a very strong energy power that can be par or greater than Noll's PK, when he managed to get near, a red shield and an ancient spell as a barrier surrounding him, together with eight shiki.

_You gotta be kiddin' me right? Who the hell in the world would possess such power?_ He said to himself, he observed the body after telling the divers to leave them alone for a moment. He let his shikis to ask questions to the shikis that floating above the body.

_They have an order to keep the body alive. _His fourth shiki said.

He pause for a moment, thinking for the right question,_ Who is their owner?_

_They won't tell. _His second shiki answered.

He frowned before asking._ Why?_

_They've sworn to secrecy. _All of his shiki answered.

He's shocked, the shikis are very faithful and loyal to their master.

_We can still save him right?_ He asked. A few minutes his first shiki answered, _Yes. That's what they said._

He went to Noll, who's talking to Mai, and whisper to him that Gene can still be save. Without second thought he pick up his phone and called for an ambulance, he didn't even notice that Mai went Gene's body, and saying something before she collapsed.

* * *

**[A/N]**

Soooo~ this is my first Ghost Hunt Fan Fic anyway… I will really appreciate your

Reviews… arigato!


	2. Her memories, her life…

**Chapter 2 – Her memories, her life…**

Again~ I don't own Ghost Hunt… Only the plot, and the soon OCs.

* * *

Mai is standing at the office, looking at the guy in front of him, sitting on a swivel chair.

_This place is… familiar. I've been here before._ She thought, as she looks around the place, and watch the scene before her.

"Alex…" said the guy, "I know it hurts what happen, on the previous case. That's why, I want you to move on. I will give you a vacation."

"But brother…" she said between sobs, she's crying. They just finish a case, but her fiancée – Ryuu, a Japanese descendant, a Demon Hunter, a Diviner, medium, an expert in the psychic and supernatural world, died – he died while protecting her. They got engaged three days ago, at her fourteenth birthday… well, it doesn't mean they will got married immediately, anyway. After the case, she woke up at the hospital and she didn't remember the whole thing, only vague memories where Ryuu, used his body to shield her from the demons' attack, where he gave his five shikis to her.

"Where will I go?" she asked.

Yulian look at her sister. Dark circles around her eyes, her messy long brown hair, he knew she didn't get enough sleep. And that's the reason why he want her to move on, slowly. If she will remain here at Russia, she will never move on. After their parents died, they were sent at the orphanage in America, at the age of five and Alex was three, he already took responsibility on her. Three years later, the Ivanov – a Russian couple adopt them.

When they are old enough to know things, they know why their parents are killed. Her mother, is a perfect medium, PK-LT user, and a descendant of a witch – a White Witch to be exact. Having the power to purify things, ghosts, and even demons. They're called as The Perfect Diviner. On the other hand, his father, has a great PK, - PK-MT, and PK-ST; their parents are very good example for PK research, but when they refuse the offer of a certain Psychic Research company, they were killed.

"Japan."

"Japan? Why there?" she asked.

_Why?_ He asked his self too. "Because you and Ryuu, don't have a memories together in Japan" he answered.

She stay silent. Thinking.

He went to her and hugged her "this is for your own good Alex, it hurts to see you like this, you don't deserve to suffer like this at a young age. I want you be happy, to laugh like there's no tomorrow… again. I want to see your cheerful self again."

She nodded, and cry at his brother's shoulder. "I understand."

"Then, who will take in-charge at the IPR – England Branch?" she suddenly asked

"Me, it's my branch after all."

She look at him, and frown "what about this main branch? It's my branch, but if I will go to Japan, I can't manage it."

He wipes her tears with his thumb, "I will take in-charge in here, in your absence. I will talk to your team to help me." He brush her not-so-soft-hair with his fingers.

"Ouch!" she cried

He laugh. "Geez, little sister, don't worry about the IPR okay? I got this, worry about yourself. Go home. Reserve a ticket, and get some sleep.

She agreed. She kiss him on the cheek, before leaving the office.

Mai is still standing at the office. Not sure what to ask, or what to say.

_What was that?_ She asked, confusedly to the shikis around her.

_That's your memories, Maihime._ The third shiki said

Now, she's more confuse, _Memories? Why I don't remember any of it?_

The second shiki answer it for her, _Because of the barrier that you made to protect the young man._ _It is not just your life energy, and your psychic powers that you used, to make the barrier and shield, some part your memories have been taken away to maintain it too._

She process the information slowly. _And why am I remembering this now?_

_Because the seal and the barrier have been undone._ All the eight shiki answered

_You got your powers and your memories back._ The sixth said.

The fourth shiki added, _But your body is still adjusting to it. Almost two years without your full abilities._

The scene change.

When she arrived at the airport, she directly went to the hotel that she reserved.

"Okay, somehow, I escaped from the media." She said to herself. Before she forgot, she called her brother and told him that she's fine, and how she escaped from the media.

"Ne, aniki*…" she started, "I want to go to school…"

Silence. Then she heard her brother laughing.

"Hey! What's so funny?" she hissed

"You…" he said, still laughing "C'mon, you already have your PhD Degree, sister. Why you want to be at school?"

"Because… I want to experience a _**NORMAL**_ high school… you know, with a classmates, teachers… uniforms" she really emphasized the word normal, "Being home schooled because of my abilities, is quite B-O-R-I-N-G" she continued

She heard him sigh.

"Fine, just… be careful okay? Especially in your abilities"

"Okay!" she cheered… "and oh, brother. I'll gonna cut my hair. Bye-bye!" She hang up, without bothering to hear his complains.

While filling up the form, at the school. She stopped, and think for a moment, _I can't use my TRUE FULL NAME, can I?_ she thought. **Mariya Alexandra Irina Ivanov** is a-too-obvious-that-you're-not-a-Japanese name.

She sigh, then an idea came to her.

_I will use an abbreviation, M-A-I, Mai. Perfect! _She cheered in her mind. And she use the maiden name of her great great grandfather on her father's side – Taniyama.

_Now, I have a new name, new identity, from now on, I'm Mai. Mai Taniyama._ She told herself, and her shikis, as she walks towards the principal's office.

_What about your guardian?_ One of her shiki asks.

She stops. _Great! I have to think about that too._ She heard them chuckled.

Then, her shiki suggested, _Use your PK-LT, and hypnotize the principal. _

_That sounds… Tempting._ She said

_You don't have a choice MAIhime._

_Ugh! Fine._ They're right, she don't have a choice.

At the pricipal's office, she was asked a lot of questions. Like, why she don't have a guardian… how can she support herself… and she finally snapped.

"Sensei." She said almost shouting. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

She went to the principal's chair, and touch his head.

"Sensei, I'm an orphan. I don't have parents, or any blood relatives. I have a foster parent, but they are no longer here." _Breath. Concentrate your PK to your eyes. _She reminded herself.

As he look at her and met her eyes, it glows green. And he wrote down on the student record, the thing that she said, about how her "foster parent" leaves her.

And it went well.

Mai Taniyama is a new student, an orphan, and lives in a shabby and cheap apartment. With **NO GUARDIAN** at all.

She heard her shikis clapping.

_Maihime, your story is touching._

_Yeah, you can be a story writer instead of demon hunter._

She exhale loudly_, I didn't expect it will went well. Anyway, let's go home, and pack. We will still have to find a **SHABBY and CHEAP** apartment._

_Aye, aye! Maihime. _They all said.

* * *

**[A/N]**

Okay~

The next chapter will be, the night before, during, and after Gene's accident. Can you still keep up? There will be more OCs to be introduced. So guys, keep up with me. I'll try my best in the romance part (or I will my friend to write it for me, ^^,) … and Naru will have a great rival, in research and in Mai's attention. Sooo~ look forward to it.

*Aniki – a less formal (than onii-chan) term for Big Brother


	3. Three Nights…

**Chapter 3 – Three Nights…**

I see now… the, her and his thingy… my mistake! ^_^v

Thank you for pointing it out _**celtyin**_**. **I appreciate it…

* * *

**First night… The Premonition.**

Mai's on the spirit plane. _Wait, What?!_ She panicked. _Why I'm here?! _She asked to no one.

_Save him! He needs you. Three nights from now_. The voice said.

_Who?_ Mai asked

_A young man, he will be killed. But you can save him. _The voice is pleading. It sounds as if the _**young man**_ is somewhat important to him.

She asked, _Where can I find him?_ In a determined voice.

The voice didn't answer immediately.

_Fate will bring you to that place, to him. In the far away north, where you can see a lake, surrounded by mountains. In the depths of the water, there, he will lie until his other half will find him. _

She raised her eyebrow. _Other half? You mean, someone like, his sibling?_

_Not just a sibling but, his other half, they were born in the same egg._ The voice explained.

_Ugh! Why don't you just say, his __**TWIN. **_She asked in an irritated voice.

_Please._ The voice started to fade. _Save him._

She woke up from her dream, and turned her alarm off. _Save him, huh. I wonder who that was, and the young man…_ Her thoughts were cut off when she realized that today, was her first day of "school" first impression is important. She quickly went to shower. After thirty minutes, she _**FINALLY**_ wear her uniform, she took a photo of herself and sent it to his brother. Since she's running late, she didn't have time for breakfast anymore.

Mai can't help herself but to smile, when her homeroom teacher introduced her to the class.

_Whoa! So this is how it feels to be in a classroom, full of strangers – that you called "classmates" – and a teacher in the front. _She said to herself.

_Maihime, you're… grinning too much._ Her shiki teased, and she heard a chuckle.

_Sh-shut up! I'm just happy, to be a normal student._ She hissed.

The rest of her day went well, her new found friends, - Keiko and Michiru – tour her around the school, including to the abandon school building. When they asked about her parents, or relatives, she said the same thing to them – orphan, no guardian, alone.

After school, she went some shopping for her necessities before going to her new home.

**Second night… The Fateful Night.**

Going home from exorcising a spirit, a young man walking alone in the middle of the night. _**He**__ should come with me for the seminar tomorrow, that idiot scientist who don't know the word 'take a break.' _He said to his self.

When he's about cross the road, he noticed the car approaching, but it was too late – he froze for a second – and his body already braced for the impact, and it tossed him the middle of the road.

Meanwhile, Mai can't keep herself calm; she keeps on walking back and forth in her room, in the cottage.

_Something's not right, I can feel it, and something's bad going to happen._ She keeps on telling herself.

_Maihime, today is the third night since you have __**that**__ dream._ Her shiki reminded her.

_But I don't know how that __**young man**__ will be killed, is it from drowning? Accident? I don't know. If only I can visualize it. I don't even know if we are on the right place. _

Silence.

Why is she here anyway? Well, her friends invited her to come with them, since its Saturday, she don't see any problems to reject the offer. They are now on the cottage that they rented, and the overview of the lake, they will swim tomorrow.

She was about to grab her coat to go outside, when she heard a tire shrieked not far from their cottage, and a 'thud' sound. She looked outside.

_Oh my god!_ She screams in her head.

Since went outside thru the windows, to the road, without bothering the cold. She, wearing house slippers, run towards the body lying on the middle of the road, in the middle of night. She can still see the car parked not so far away. She turned the body towards her, and sigh in relief when he's still breathing, but faintly. She whistled to call her shikis, _Stop his bleeding and treat his injuries._ She ordered to her shikis

While they are doing what she told them to do, she concentrated her life energy into her hands and she pushed it into his head and chest.

"It will protect you, until he finds you. I will make a barrier and shied to protect you underwater. And I will leave all my shikis with you to keep you alive." Mai makes hand seals, and murmuring some spells. And she puts her hand his abdomen, letting him receive her energy and power.

"Un…der…water…?" he asked.

"Yes, that woman will dump you in the lake."

"how… did… you… know….?"

"I… have a vision… or rather, a premonition. And your brother, I let him show another version of your accident. I will show him that you die. So that, he will come here and find you, wherever he is."

"if… I can't make it… can you tell him… that… I'm sorry… I went here alone…" He said, between heavy breathing.

The girl nodded. "I'm sure he will find you..." she smile "just, wait for him to come"

He still managed to smile, and introduced his name "I'm… Gene… Davis…" he said softly, almost a whisper.

"Mai… Mai Taniyama…" it is still awkward for her to tell her new name.

"Nice… to meet you… Mai…"

She smile at him.

She feels dizzy for a moment. This kind of barrier consumed too much energy from her. She start panting, sweat all-over her face, and she's about to collapsed.

_Not yet, just a little bit more._ She said to herself.

_Third… _she called, referring to her third shiki. _Report to my brother about this immediately, and tell him not to worry, I can handle myself here. Understand?_

_Understood, Maihime. _With that, it glows. Reporting to his brother.

_Maihime, we stopped the bleeding, and treated some of his injuries. We should head back home._

_Yeah, but I will be the only one heading back home. I order you… to keep treating his wounds, and to keep him alive underwater, until the day his brother finds him. And don't tell who is your owner. Understand?_ She said in a firm and serious tone. Her vision started to get blurred.

_But, what about you? At least leave one of us with you. We promised to Ryuu-sama before he die, that we will protect you on his behalf._ Her eighth shiki said, worry can be heard in its voice.

She paused. Her eyes starting get misty, tears starting to form when she heard Ryuu's name. They are Ryuu's shikis after all. But it's not important now. No need to get sentimental.

_No… I will be fine... I promise. _I said softly, my energy was slowly draining.

Silence.

_Understood, Maihime._ They all agreed

When the shield and barrier are finished, a mark appeared on her left chest – on her heart – an indicator, it will alert her if something or someone tried to disturbed his protection.

When she looked at Gene, his eyes are still open. She put him to sleep with a spell, and murmuring some spells to messed up on his brother's vision – she gave him another version of his accident – with that, she started walking back to the cottage, she can barely walk now. When she reached the front door she managed to knock twice, and then she collapsed. She didn't witness how the driver in the car hit Gene again, cover him with tarp, dragged him to the trunk of her car, and lastly, how she dump him on the lake…

**Third Night… Forgotten.**

Mai woke up from the sun rays, hitting her face. She slowly open her eyes and see that she's alone in the room. She tried to move but her body hurts a lot, she groaned.

_Ow! What happenned?_ She asked herself

When she tried to sit, the door opened seeing Keiko carrying breakfast.

"Mai!" She almost shouts from surprise, seeing her friend wake up "Are you feeling alright? You scared the hell out of us last night, when we saw you unconscious at the front door. Where have you been last night?" she said in one breath.

She saw Mai raised an eyebrow, and she looked confused.

"You don't remember?" She asked. Mai shook her head. "I'm just in my room last night. Why?"

Keiko sighed. "We didn't saw you leave the cottage last night, when heard knocked on the door, we all went to see who, and there, we saw you lying unconscious" she explained.

"I maybe sleepwalked thru the window"

"Geez, that's scary" They both laugh

When she went to the shower, she notice the mark on her chest.

_What the hell is this? _She tried to rubbed it but it seems like a tattoo, it didn't wash off. "where the hell I went last night?" she said to herself, while facing the mirror. "well, I guess its fine" she shrugged.

After she took a shower, she get dressed. She started to pack her things, they will go back today, their swimming got cancelled, mainly because of her. She feel guilty, that's why she promised that they will go to beach one of these days.

It's already nighttime when she arrived at her apartment. She changed her dress and getting ready to bed.

In her dreams, she always heard a tire shrieked, a 'thud' sound, someone's breathing heavily, and splash of water. And she saw herself unconscious at the main door.

Mai opened her eyes. Panting. Sweat on her forehead.

_Thank you…_ she heard the voice said.

* * *

**[A/N]**

This is the third time I rephrase and arranged it into a much understandable manner. The first is kindda… you know, even if I'm the author, I still have a hard time understanding it… ^_^v


	4. I need an explanation, Now!

**Chapter 4 – I need an explanation, Now!**

* * *

Mai was still watching the ever-changing scenes in front of her, the part of her memories that was lost, most of them is when she's still in Russia. The memories together with her team, brother, and with Ryuu.

"Mai" she turned around to looked who called her name, and she saw Gene. She sadly smile. "Gene"

"You remember me now? You remember that night?" he asked.

She nodded, "yeah… I'm glad you're alright"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"I thought the barrier was not enough underwater" she said, without looking at him. "Why are you here anyway? I mean, these are my memories. You shouldn't be here. "

He reached for her and hugged her tightly; "I'm part of your memories that you've forgotten." She heard a sob, "I know, a simple 'thank you' will not be enough for what you've done to me, Mai. And that idiot brother of mine has the nerves to hurt you." Although his crying, anger was clearly in his voice, she patted his back to comfort him but she can't help herself but cried when she remembered Naru's response to her confession.

"Gene…" she look at his eyes, "don't tell Naru about this, or rather, not now. My mind still confuse, I don't want to be asked with lots of questions. Please." She pleaded to him. She really don't want Naru to know that she's the one who saved his brother's life, for some reasons. First, he might think that I truly love his brother, to the point of losing my memories in order to save him. Second, she don't like to explain the details to him. And third, she's still keeping her identity to the SPR, knowing Naru, every question is like a road to a trap. She might lose control of herself and accidentally tell him about her.

She heard him sighed. "I understand. I will handle Noll's outbursts."

They both laugh.

Mai is really a kind girl, and that idiot scientist easily hurt her. The reason he saved Mai from the falling bookshelves in the abandon building at her school, was because he recognized her, he know that she's the girl who saved him from that night. But when she called him "Naru" he was hurt, _it been a half a year already, did she forget about me? Naru? Did she mean Noll? They already met?_ Gene thought at that time. So he just let her called him Naru, although he really wanted her to call him by his name - and that was the thing that he regretted, if only at first, she told her about him, she won't get confused and Naru won't ask such stupid question. Really, his brother is the most idiot person he ever know, that he want to give him a trophy, plaque, and medal for his own idiocy.

_Maihime, Gene-sama, you have to wake up now._

They look at each other before Gene asks a question_ How long did we sleep?_

_Almost two weeks already. _It answered.

_Understand but, I want you all to rest, go back to the Demon world and recuperate your powers._ She said with a worry tone.

But they declined, _that won't do Maihime, we're doing fine. Being underwater didn't reduce our powers._

_Really? But the SPR didn't know about me… yet. And Lin is a sorcerer, he can feel your presence, and I, personally, don't want to explain complicated things to him._

Gene chuckled. "You can trust Lin, you know" She glared at him, "I know… but, if I will tell him, and Naru will get suspicious, he will never stop bugging me or Lin with questions. I don't want him to be in trouble." He only shrugged and smirked.

_Alright Maihime, we understand. But if they will know who you really are, we will go back and guard you again. _

_Okay! That's better._ She cheered. With that they went back to the Demon World.

There's an awkward silence between the two before Mai decided to speak first.

"So~ see you soon?"

"Yeah. See you soon." He gave her a warm smile.

Naru was starting to get impatient waiting for his brother and Mai to wake up. He decided that the two will share a room, so that it is easy for him to ask a lots, lots of questions that even Lin can't answer.

_Gene… useless medium, wake up already… I need an explanation, now!_ He thought impatiently. As if he was heard, Gene's fingers started to move, and groaned can be heard.

"Lin!" he called. When he came to the room, Lin saw Gene's head moving, and he didn't need to be told what to do, he immediately called a doctor. When he opened the door SPR members (or at least, Ayako, and Bou-san) entered inside.

"Gene" he called softly. His attention went to the other bed when he heard Mai groaned, he sighed of relief knowing she will wake up soon too, but he furrowed his eyebrow when he realized something. _Don't tell me these two were together?_ His own thoughts made him angry.

"Mai!" Ayako and Bou-san called. Almost yelled. "Jou-chan, finally! You're awake."

She can only groaned, and slowly open her eyes.

Thwack!

"Get her something to drink, you idiot monk!" Ayako hissed. "You don't have to hit me with old hag." Thwack! Thwack! "Just go already, idiot!" Afraid that Ayako will give another thwack, he hurriedly went out.

Few minutes later, Gene finally opened his eyes too. Lin came back with the doctor and check the two of them, when he gave his "okay" and told then what to do, the doctor left the room and silence fill in, it seems everyone's afraid to speak first. Gene looked at his right side and smiled at Mai.

"Hi Mai, so I finally meet you in person huh. I mean, you are prettier than in the astral plane you know. Right Noll?" Mai blushed at his statement, Ayako just giggle, and he saw Lin smirked.

"I don't know, I didn't saw what she looked like in the astral plane, so, I can't compare" his emotionless answer.

**Gene**

Yeah?

**Shut up!**

Oh, why's that? Is that how the Great Oliver Davis get jealous?

He went to Mai's bed and asked if she's alright, when she nodded. "How did you know that Gene can still be save?" he bluntly asked.

"Lin, can you punch Noll for me please." Gene said, before Naru can say anything, Lin's fist already hits his face and he was knocked-out on the floor. Bou-san, who came back from getting drinks and food stopped, and watched the scene before him.

"What the hell, Gene!" he's yelled angrily.

Gene glared at him "Are you really that idiot and insensitive towards Mai? She just woke up, and you asked her that question already? You can ask directly to me instead, because it is me that you're talking about!" he yelled back.

Bou-san went in, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, you two." he put the food on the table, and help Naru to get up, he looked at Gene and asked, "What did he do this time?" Gene told him how his brother bluntly asked question to Mai. He let go of Naru, which caused him to dropped on the floor – again. "Are you stupid? Jou-chan just woke up and you asked her like that? Are you that insensitive towards her?" He asked angrily too. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Ayako hits him three times. "What was that for **again** old hag?"

"You just rephrase and repeat what his brother said just now, idiot."

And they heard Gene's laughter, it echoed inside of the room.

"I never get tired watching the two of you, you're just like my idiot brother and Mai" he said between laughter. "Seeing it personally is hilarious than in the astral plane." The two blushed. _Aww… Cute._ He thought. He looked at his brother, Lin is helping him now to stand up.

"Are you done with your useless chat?" his voice is colder, but irritation is clearly on it. When they nod, he continue asking "Now Gene, care to explain what the hell happened to you? You're underwater for almost two years –"

"One year and ten months and eighty days to be exact" Gene cut him off, grinning. Naru just rolled his eyes "Whatever useless medium."

"I give you more details idiot scientist." He shot back, Naru gave him his signature glare, but his not affected, he used to it already.

"I need an explanation how the hell you survived, you were dead, I saw it." He asked impatiently.

Ayako step in in their conversation, "Yeah, me too, I want to know it too. It seems impossible, I mean, I don't care what Naru saw in his vision but to be underwater for one year and ten months and eighty days, and still alive?" Gene grinned when she didn't say "almost two years" but rather the detailed one.

"Do you know the owner of the shikis that protected you? And the barrier used is an ancient spell." Lin can't help it but asked too.

_So this is why Mai don't want them to know, I was asked with lots of question already._ Gene thought, he looked at Mai and smile.

He sighed before looking back at the people who are "interrogating" him, "Guys, there are things that can be explain when the time is right, right now, I can't give you the details because I don't want to trouble her, but I can only this – someone who is kind hearted enough to save a stranger, even if it means losing some of her powers, energy and memories."

"**Her**?" Naru asked. "You mean it's a girl?"

Gene rolled his eyes because of the stupid question, "No Noll, it's a boy that's why I said **her.**"

Naru just glared at him, Ayako and Bou-san tried to hide their laughter, Lin just chuckled. Bou-san patted Naru's shoulder, "Naru – zero, Gene – two points. He's good to you piss around, Naru." Naru ignored him, "And why Mai also know that you're still alive?" he asked again.

"He told me, when I'm walking towards his body, I heard him saying that he can still be save." Mai answered him, all of them now are looking at her.

"She's right, I told her." Gene said, now their attention is on him – again. "she's the only one whom I can connect to, I tried to put a connection to you Noll, and tell you about it but I can't."

Naru sighed. All of them are quite, "fine, just rest already, so we can go."

The rest of the SPR members came later, they asked a lots of questions to Gene – mostly related to Naru, like his weaknesses – when Gene tried to answer, he can see the death glare of his brother, not for him but for his employees, so he kept his mouth shut. Mai insisted to go home first, she don't have any injuries anyway, she just collapsed when she undone the barrier and shield because her powers rushed into her body and can't keep up.

"Mai, let this idiot scientist to drive you home." Gene offered.

She shook her head, "I can manage on my own Gene. I don't want to give Naru a trouble." She smiled at him

Naru took the car keys from Lin, "You gave a lot of trouble already, so I'll drive you home" he said.

She just rolled her eyes, and follow him.

No one dared to speak during the whole ride. _Why she's so quite? Usually, she will start a conversation, even though they're useless._ He thought, and glanced at her. She's looking outside, watching the scenery.

"Now that my brother is alive you can confess to him properly." Naru said, as they stopped at her apartment building. Mai looked at him, "do you really buy that stupid reason, Naru?" she can't help it but raised her voice on him. "I know it's my brother that you love and not me." He said emotionlessly.

She had enough! "You know what? Just because you're Mr I-know-everything, a genius and have an IQ of who-knows-what, it doesn't mean you also know whom I really love!" she shouted, with that, she step out on the car, slam it closed, and walked to her apartment without looking back. She immediately called her brother and told him what happen, and she spent her thirty minutes listening to his brother – scolding her.

"I will let Kir, Rurik, and Vlad to take the first flight today. And they will stay there with you, do you understand Mariya Alexandra Irina?" She gulped. She knew her brother, when he called her with her full name, he's really angry, although he sounds calm. She murmured her answer, obviously he didn't hear it properly, "do you understand?" he asked again, with a sharp tone.

"Y-Yes!" she almost shout, _geez, since when was the last time he called me with my full name? gah! I'm scared… _she thought. She heard a chuckled. "Good, and I'm not deaf so no need to shout." She smile at her brother's answer, he's no longer angry. After their conversation, she took a shower, and go to bed.

_I know it's my brother that you love and not me._ Naru's words replayed in her mind.

"Idiot scientist! You're really an idiot, you the most idiot and stupid person I've ever met." She said to herself, and tears flows from her eyes. She let herself cried, cried until she fall asleep.

* * *

**[A/N]:**

I really, really appreciate those who reviewed, followed, and favored this story…

Soooo~ three OCs will be introduced next chapter… Look forward to it!


	5. SPR plus Gene minus Mai Equals?

**Chapter 5 – SPR plus Gene minus Mai. Equals…?**

It's been two weeks since Gene miraculously survived from the accident, his body's recuperating fast. Lin was preparing breakfast, when he heard the twins discussing about going home to England for a while, but Gene don't like the idea of Naru leaving Mai without fixing the issue between the two of them.

"I sure do love to go home for a while, but not now, I want you and Mai discuss the misunderstanding between the two of you." Gene said, while heading to the kitchen.

"There's nothing to discuss Gene, you're the one that she loves, not me, I know it." He answered dryly. Lin didn't comment on Naru's statement, _even a fool can tell that you're the she loves, Naru_, he thought, he will just keep his thought to himself – for now – and if his idiocy and stupidity will be beyond reach, he will beat the hell out him with his thought.

"Yeah right, I didn't know that Oliver Davis can now read people's heart and feeling." Gene sarcastically said, "You will only see your own feelings when she's no longer by your side, Noll, and you will regret it." he added. Naru stiffened at his brother's statement, _he's right. But Mai will never leave me… right?_ Naru thought, he felt a knife stabbed in his heart just by thinking that Mai leaving him.

He smirked, "she will never leave me, I know it." With over-confident in his voice. _Mai will never leave me, for all the insults and harsh actions I did and said to her, she will always come back to me _he convinced his self.

Lin can't take it anymore, "You will never know Oliver, one day she will snapped out and totally leave the SPR and you behind, without looking back." Sometimes, Naru's over-confident will lead to his own downfall, Lin know it and he wants to avoid it, that's why he want strangled him earlier with his over-confident statement. Gene nodded in agreement, "Lin's right. Don't get us wrong Noll, we're not stepping in with your personal issue with Mai but, since you're the world's most idiot person, we're afraid that your idiocy and stupidity will lead to regret." Naru glared at him. "If you're not stepping in, then both of you shut up. Mai will never leave me." He started eating his breakfast. Lin and Gene looked at each other and shrugged. "Fine. I will just hope that it will never come to a day where you will run into me and cry for Mai leaving you." He felt Naru's questioning look, but he just ignore it, and start eating.

**Gene**

What?

**Did you know something about Mai that I didn't know?**

Why did you ask? Are my words starts getting in your head now?

**Shut up.**

Then I will.

He cut their connection, he wants to teach his brother a lesson, but knowing him, without an actual experienced he will never get it.

Mai looked at the clock on her phone, its seven-thirty in the morning, she checked her messages and saw what she's been looking for.

_Our arrival time to Narita Airport will be twelve noon. See you by then, Alex. _It was from Kir.

She looked at the time again, and she replied, _Okay. Drop by here in my apartment to leave your luggage, and go to SPR office, let's have a lunch, I will be waiting. My name here is Mai, and, SPEAK JAPANESE. See you guys. _After she replied, we took a shower, and skip breakfast, and walk her way to the office.

Once she step in Gene welcomed her with hug, "I miss you Mai! I never get to see you in my dreams last night and last, last night too." he said frowning. She smiled at his expression, "it was because I'm so tired from school, and didn't have the time to go **there**" she heard someone clearing his throat, they turned and saw the almighty Naru standing at the door on his office, "Mai, if you're done flirting with my brother, get me a cup of tea." He said dryly, and he glared at me as if he can see thru my soul.

"Did you just say 'flirting' Oliver?" she's angry, no, angry and mad can't describe what she felt right at the moment.

Naru smirked, "yeah, did you not hear me?" someone snickered, and when she looked at the common room, all the irregulars are there, and her eyes landed on Masako, with a smirk on her face. She just rolled her eyes, and went to the kitchenette to make a tea.

"What's with this meeting Naru?" Ayako asked.

He sit down on the couch waiting for Mai, or rather – for her tea. "I will it, when everyone's here" as if a cue, Mai came out from the kitchen. When Gene saw her, he stand and help her with the tray, "Thanks Gene" she said to him, smiling, Naru clenched his first and Masako saw how he react, she glared at Mai.

Masako put the kimono over her mouth and softly said, "Mai, Naru wants to tell us something. Can you hurry up and stop wasting our time by **flirting **over Gene?" everyone looked at her, yeah sure she said it softly but the way she glared, didn't match up with her voice.

"What?" Masako asked confusedly. "I just repeat what Noll said to her earlier, that she's **flirting **with his brother." She really emphasized the word 'flirting' in her sentence.

Now Mai's angry, really angry at Masako's words. She clenched her fist, and the building shake a little – her PK was leaking. When she noticed it, she tried to calm herself.

"What was that? The building shook a little." John asked.

Gene answered, "An earthquake… maybe?"

Naru groaned with irritation, "Can we moved on now?"

They all nodded, and Mai took a sit beside Gene.

"Gene will be working here at the SPR, as you already know; he's also a medium like Hara-san, an exorcist like Bou-san, Matsuzaki-san, and John, and an Astral walker like Mai. But, he prefer to work alone, and I won't let him this time, that's why, judging with our number, we can be split into two teams, that will be working on different cases. And, if I may add, we're accepting cases that the BSPR will give to us too, either within Japan, or abroad. Any questions?"

John raised his hand. "How will you split the team?"

"It depends on the case. But, I will make it sure that Bou-san will always go with Gene." John just nodded.

Bou-san looked at Naru, "Why me?" he asked

"Because you're the eldest guy here, aside from Lin" Ayako just giggled from his statement.

"Any more questions?" he asked.

Masako asked, "What about Mai?"

Naru raised an eyebrow on her statement, "What about her?" he asked back.

"Which team do you want her to come?" she said while glaring at the girl.

"I will let her choose herself" They all went silent. They know the meaning behind his answer, and it's like "I-will-let-her-choose-whom-she-really-love-from-the-two-of-us." As if Naru read their thoughts, he glared at them, including Lin – who just shrugged.

He looked at his brother and asked, "Are you okay with it gene?"

Gene think for a while, and then nodded, "Yeah, it's sounds fun. But it will be more fun if Mai will choose to go with me on a case" Gene grinned at him. And he just rolled his eyes. They heard someone's phone ringing, it was Mai's, she excused herself to answer the call, since the room is silent, they can heard what Mai's been saying even if she's at the kitchenette.

"You're here already? … Yeah, I'm still here at the office, we're having a meeting but it seems over now… remember what I told you okay? … yeah, see you… I'm hungry too can't wait for lunch… bye." The irregulars looked at each other, starting to asks questions when she came from the kitchenette.

"Mai who was that?" Ayako started

"Why are you having lunch?" Bou-san added

Yasu dramatically cried, "Mai are you cheating on me? Why? Was my body's not enough?" Mai just rolled her eyes. And he got a thwack from Ayako and Bou-san, John seems to be their referee again, trying to calm them down.

"Geez, my friends came to visit me, you know. And they will pick me up here and we will be having a lunch together." She cheerfully said.

Gene 'hmm-ed' and Naru raised his eyebrow before asking "these 'friends' of yours, they're girls right?" he asks between gritting his teeth.

She was about to answer when the door opened revealing three men, one around twenty years old, with silver hair, and green eyes, same height with Yasuhara; the other was the eldest of the three, twenty-two years old, with a black hair with brown eyes, and an earring on his right ear, and a little bit taller than Naru; and the last one has a the same age as the first twenty years old, with coffee-brown hair with gray eyes. The SPR went silent, why wouldn't they? They just saw three people that can be rivaled to Naru and Lin's appearance. The newcomer scanned the room, when they saw the person that they've looking for they called.

"A-" Mai shot a glare at the silver-haired guy, causing him to stop his word.

The coffee-brown haired guy went to her, and hugged her "We miss you… Mai" she smile and hugged him back.

"Me too! Me too! I miss her too" the silver-haired guy from earlier join their hugging moments. The other one just smile at the scene before him.

Naru cleared his throat trying to get their attention, when they looked at him, Mai introduced them.

"Sorry, my bad. Let me introduced them to you first." She walks towards the silver-haired and green-eyed guy, and put her hands on his shoulder, "this guy here is Kir, next to him is Vlad." Gesturing the guy with a coffee-brown-haired and gray eyes. "And lastly…" walking towards the black-haired guy with brown eyes and had an earring on his right ear, "this guy's name is Rurik. They're my friends."

Vlad speaks first, while looking at the room "Nice to meet you. So, this is SPR huh, not bad."

"Thank you for taking care of our Mai." Kir bowed.

Rurik looked everyone in the room, and stared at Lin, "oh, an onmyouji huh…" he said, "impressive, so you're one of the owner of the crow demon." He smirked.

Lin narrowed his eyes, "You can see them?"

"Of course! They're five, right? Why? You can't see my shikis?"

Lin shook his head, "No, I can't." Rurik 'hmmm-ed'

Ayako stared closely at him, and squealed. Everyone looked at her, "Oh my God! A-a-re you that international model Rukik Zvansky?" she asked, and she's blushing.

"Yes, and it's my honor that a beautiful lady such as yourself, knows my name." he winked at her, Ayako almost fainted.

Mai just rolled her eyes.

"It's from the script of his new movie." Vlad whispered to her

She shrugged, "I knew it! And he used Ayako to be his guinea pig" they just laugh.

"So Naru, can I go now? The meeting is over right?"

"Who said it's over? We're not yet done." He almost raised his voice from irritation.

"What else you do you want to talk about? C'mon hurry, so we can have our lunch."

He looked at the three newcomers, and they sit on Mai's desk – one is texting, the other is playing games, and last, reading a book from her table. He looked at back at her, "they can have their lunch on their own. Now sit down, so we can continue."

She sighed and sit down beside Gene. She looked at Rurik and he started a telepathic conversation.

_Where are your shikis?_

**I let them rest, they're in the Demon world**

_Why?_

**These people don't know about me… yet.**

_Hmm. So where's that guy that you saved?_

**The one sitting beside me, my boss' brother.**

_I see._He smirked.

"… Do you agree, Mai?" she snapped out, and looked at Naru.

She smiled nervously, "What was that again Naru?"

He sighed. "That's what you get from not paying attention to the discussion, and will you please stop flirting at my office." Looking at Rurik, the two beside him stopped whatever they're doing, and looked at him.

"Watch your words, man" Vlad warned.

Kir added, "You don't know who you're talking to."

Naru narrowed his eyes, "it's my office and I'm free to say whatever I want."

Tension was in the air, they can feel it, before anything worst happen, Mai stood up.

"Stop it! The two of you!" She yelled. "Naru calm down, Vlad and Kir, you too" the two calmed down, but Naru still pissed off.

"Why Mai? Why are you defending them? I know it, it's clearly shown in his eyes that he's flirting but you didn't notice it. Are you really that idiot and stupid?! Or my brother's not enough and you jump to another guy?! " He yelled. Gene and Lin looked at him angrily, one more hurting word from him and they'll snapped out.

She felt her blood boiled at his statement, "What the hell Naru?! Is that how you look at me? Is that how know me?!" she yelled back. Her friends approached her.

"Why are you at their side? I'm your boss here, and you're in my office." Wrath can hear in his voice, he sneer, "don't tell me, he's also your boss – in his bed." They all gasped. Lin and Gen can't take it anymore; they both landed a punch on Naru's face.

"Idiot! You don't have the right to tell her that! Snapped it out Noll! What's happening to you?!" He shouted at his face and gave him another punch. He touched his nose and saw a blood on it. He looked at Mai and saw anger – no, not anger but it is beyond anger and mad, it was an expression that he never saw before. He tried to approached her, but she stepped back and her friends went in front of her.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Rurik exclaimed. "How dare you, said that disrespectful thing to her, you don't know her!" The room temperature dropped, and it's starting to shake, the others got scared, when the windows are shattering.

"Ru, calm down!" Vlad shouted at him, "don't let your PK overrule your emotion" Kir added. When he heard that, he calm his self, and the temperature went back to normal.

Bou-san recovered from the shocked, asked "Was that a PK?"

"Yes" he answered plainly. He took his wallet and put some money on the table, "for the damage."

When they are at the door, and Mai was about to follow, she heard Masako speak, "Oh? What's that? Leaving with your new boyfriends? You're really a social climber, aren't you? Is that how the poor and orphan will act? Acting kind and innocent? You didn't get Noll, and you jumped to his brother, and you're still playing with your new guys? You're disgusting; I guess your parents didn't bring you up well. And you're friends too, because they caught up with your little innocent act."

Her mind went blank and gave a hard slap. The SPR people were shocked – specially Naru – to think that Mai, can slap like that, when they saw Mai's eyes they were scared, it looks like she's about to kill someone, even Masako was shocked at her reaction.

She gripped Masako's hand, hard enough to make her winced. "Listen carefully Masako, I can take all the insults and harsh words you throw into me, call me idiot, stupid, naïve, flirt, slut, social climber, for all I care!" she yelled. She tighten her grip, "But don't you dare, don't you dare insult them, you didn't even know them. To hell with you, question my upbringing! You don't know me. You don't know anything about me." She said in a tone that they never heard from her before, every word has a life threatening tone.

She looked at Naru, and saw him flinched, she grab his collar and face the medium, "You want Naru, he's yours! Just stay away from my business." she throw him into her, but before turning back "I'm done here, Mr. Davis." She put the pay check on their previous case on the table.

"What do you mean by that Mai?" John asked.

"Are you leaving SPR?" Ayako added.

Gene tried to approached her but she told him to stop, "My decision was final." She turned back and went out the building.

Vlad looked at them, Lin was still shocked, Gene was sitting with palm on his face, John, Bou-san, and Yasu are whispering, Ayako was getting angry at Masako – who is crying – and lastly to Naru, who was sitting next to his brother staring at the ceiling.

"You…" he said, all of them are now looking at him, only to see anger and disgust showed in his eyes "don't know what you just did." And the he left.

Masako's sob fill in the office. Then Gene looked at his brother, "it was your fault Noll! It was your damn fault!" He shouted at him. "If only you didn't comment anything about her friend flirting at her! She already told us, they're her friends! But you didn't believe her, and your jealousy went into your head."

"I'm not jealous!" he denied.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that Noll." Lin narrowed his eyes. "You won't die from admitting that you're jealous with her friend, or Gene. Instead of saying that she's flirting."

He didn't answered. How the hell he knew that he's already jealous, this is the first time he felt something like this, and he convinced himself that he's angry – not jealous. _So, this jealousy huh. _He thought to his self.

Ayako was still putting an icepack on Masako's face "I can't believe Mai can slap this hard."

Bou-san agreed, "Yeah! I mean, I was shocked. Naru insults her every time, but she didn't dare to hurt him physically."

"Hara-san also stepped on the line, questioning her and her friends' upbringing. She finally snapped out." Yasu commented.

John just nodded, he didn't want to comment any further.

Gene sighed, "Go to her Noll, and apologize before it's too late."

Naru looked at him questionably "What do you mean by 'before it's too late'?"

"Didn't she said that she's done here? I think she will leave us." John answered.

Naru stormed out at the office and went to her apartment only to find out that it's already empty. She already left.

* * *

**[A/N]**

Gah! So much OOCs… ^_^

Sorry if it has a loooot~ of confusions… T^T


	6. Meet the IPR Members

**Chapter 6 - Meet the IPR Members**

**[A/N]**

I will now regularly update this story, it will be every weekend it's either Saturday or Sunday, and I will post at least two chapters in each time I update (maybe three, if I can).

* * *

**International Parapsychology Research (IPR) Main Office – Moscow, Russia**

It's been one year since she came back home, leaving her 'family' in Japan without a word, leaving him behind. _It's for the best_, she thought, she open the drawer of her office table and took a ring – blue diamond ring, with other two smaller diamonds on each side – it's her engagement ring four years ago, "Ryuu…" she whispered, "I already moved on over you, but I will never forget you." Tear run thru her cheek, she cried not because she still loves him, but she cried because she miss him, she reminisces the time when they are still together, their fights, their adventures, the cases that they took together. Her thought was interrupted by someone knocking at her door.

She wiped her tears "Come in"

A guy about twenty years old, with red hair and blue eyes entered the office, he noticed her eyes, and asked "Why are you crying **again, **Alex?" he really emphasize the word 'again' in his sentence.

"Nothing, just reminiscing about the past" she smiled "what brought you here Boris? Aren't you gonna have a lecture at England?"

"I'm done. And besides, I was called here, some hospital needs my help."

She looked at the guy in front of her, Boris Ryzhkov, he's part of her team in here in Russia, aside from being professor on Parapsychology, he's also a medical doctor. And for his psychic abilities? He's the same as her, has an ESP, an astral plane walker – someone who can go to the astral plane, and see the past – he's also an exorcist, but at first, he will try to parley the ghost, if it won't work that's when he will do an exorcism, and a medium – just like her.

"– here shortly." He said.

She snapped from her thought, "Sorry? What was again?"

He sighed. "I said, the others will –"his words were cut off when five people barge in the office – without knocking. "That's what I'm trying to say earlier."

"Good Morning!" They all said in unison.

She chuckled. "Don't just barge in without knocking, idiots. Do you want some tea and cookies?"

"Of course!"

She went to the kitchenette of her office. There's also a bedroom in here, sometimes she's so tired to go home, and will sleep in the office that's why she decided to bring her home – or at least her bedroom – in here. She can still heard their voices, laughing, singing, arguing, just like her SPR family back in Japan, she sighed remembering them.

"Oh, it seems like your thoughts are not here" she almost jumped and looked back and saw a black haired guy, and she looked closely at his eyes – it's gray.

"Don't startle me that Sashura." The head-researcher of her team Sashura Ustrashkin, a psychometric and a gifted PK-ST user, he's also a movie director and a novel writer, mostly horror novels and some of them made into movies.

He smile, "We've been calling you, you know, Sasha thought maybe you drown in making tea"

"Geez, you two are really impatient which it comes to tea" she placed the cups on the tray and handed to him "Here, bring this."

When all of them are on the common room, she called her assistant to take a break and join them.

"So Alex, what do you think about the case in Germany? Will you accept it?" that was Sasha Ustrashkin – Sashura's twin brother – a true medium and a gifted PK-MT user, and astral plane walker – like her, he's also a singer, and photographer, and they both have black hair, the difference between them is the eyes, Sasha has black eyes, while Sashura has gray.

She shrugged, "Don't know yet, I need more details about it"

Sashura nodded, "it sounds boring Sha, most likely a human causing poltergeist activity"

"Hmm, did Yulian told you about a joint case between us and BSPR?" Kir asked.

Vlad answered while reaching a cookies "Yeah, but it's in England right? It has nothing to do with us, Yulian and his team can take care of it."

"By the way Alex, some bookstores abroad requested my company to publish more than one-hundred copies of your book. In English version." That was Alexander Druzhinin publishing company owner, and also a professor in England, like Boris. He's our computer and data analyst, researcher, and he knows summoning spells – spells that will summon either spirit or demons.

She stood up and went to her computer and printed something "Sure, I'll give you the draft after this"

She wrote a book entitled "_My Japan Ghost Stories_" well, it is not a fiction, it was all based on experienced, when she's still working at SPR and she dedicated this work to them, she also attached their picture at the last page of the book. She smiled, _I wonder if they read the book_, she thought, it was also imported to Japan, both English and Japanese versions, she use their actual names, and the places, and their chanting when Bou-san, Ayako, and John do an exorcism.

"Alex, your brother is on the phone, line two" Rurik – her assistant informed her

She took the phone, "Thanks, Ru" he just smile and join the others.

"Hello?"

"Alex, will you accept a joint case?" She frowned, _gah! straight to point when it comes to business, that's my brother – just like Naru_, she thought.

"Why me? Is it about the BSPR? Why, Can't you do it? And besides, you're the one that they requested, why forward to me?"

"It seems that the location is there in Moscow, it is more convenience to you."

"Really? I didn't hear any of paranormal happenings here. And will it be too crowded? There are eight of us, what about the other?"

_It seems he's thinking_, she thought "Eight too." he said

"That's sixteen all!" she almost yelled, and made her friends looked at her, she apologetically smile.

"I don't think so. I was planning on bringing Sasha and Boris with me in the Germany, for the other case"

"Ha? Hey they are all true mediums and astral plane walkers, brother! What happen to your team?"

"The other team will have a medium too, and you're also a true medium yourself, and an astral walker. And for my team, they are on a case in Mexico."

She groaned, "You really like accepting cases abroad, aren't you? Did they know about this already?"

"Not yet. Maybe later"

"Hmm. BSPR right? Not SPR?" she asked – making sure, if it's BSPR it means, it's not the Japan branch, it's not Naru and his team.

"Yup. Why?"

She shook her head, "Nothing. Are you coming here, to give us the details about this joint case?"

"No my dear little sister, it seems the owner itself – Martin Davis – will come there and give you the details that you wanted"

"And when was that?"

"Not yet sure, when. Maybe one of this days"

"Gah! Thanks for the incomplete information. Why did they decided to have a joint case with us?"

Silence.

"I think, it is not a simple ghost that you will be facing, but rather an impure demons"

_Demon__**s**__, it means more than one,_ she thought. "Heh~ so that's why you decided to pass the case to me." She saw her assistant at the door, _We still have a meeting_, he mouthed, she just nodded. "I still have a meeting bro, bye-bye" she hung up the phone.

She looked at her team, "Sasha, Boris, it seems that Yulian needs your help on a case, and it will be in Germany, will you accept it?

The said people looked at each other, "Why? What happen to his team? We prefer to be with you, Alex" Sasha reacted first

"It seems that his team is still on a case in Mexico."

"Is it the same on the case you received from Germany too?" Boris asked.

She shook her head, "it's different. Only the three of you will go and no one else."

"Fine, I'm in." Sasha agreed first, Boris is still in thought.

"Who will be your doctor when you will be on a case? I'm worried about you. Yulian forwarded the joint case, in this office right?"

"I will request a doctor on the other team, don't worry." She assure with a smile.

"I will make my decision if this doctor will be reliable enough, and I can give my trust to."

She hugged him "Thanks, for worrying about me"

"Wah! Group hug!" Kir said, and the others joined too.

Someone knocked at the door, it was Rurik, "they're waiting, Alex…"

"Coming!"

She walked out the office, to have a meeting with the board members. Joint case is something that they never done before, interesting.


	7. A Joint Case: IPR and SPR

**Chapter 7 - A Joint Case: IPR and SPR**

* * *

**Shibuya Psychic Research (SPR) Japan Branch Office – Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Japan**

It's been one year since he started searching for her, someone's blocking his psychometry. It's been one year since he felt so alone, although Gene was trying to cheer him up, it's no use, and it was not his smile that he needed but rather Mai's – her smile, her tea, her mumblings whenever he said something – those small gestures, those are what he wanted, and Mai. He never forgot how he cried on his brother's shoulder at the day when he saw her apartment empty.

_FLASHBACK_

_Naru stormed out at the office and went to her apartment only to find out that it's already empty. She already left. He don't know how to describe the feelings that he felt that day – regret, sadness, loneliness, anger to his self – all of the possible negative emotions. He went back to his office, the irregular members are still there, he directly stormed in his office, he let himself cried._

"_**I will just hope that it will never come to a day where you will run into me and cry for Mai leaving you"**__ he remembered what Gene said._

_He was in his desk when Gene entered, brought him a cup of tea._

"_Go out, Gene. I want to be alone." He tried to hide his sob in every words. Instead of going out, he reached for his brother, he hugged and comfort him, "you can always cry on my shoulder, you now." He said softly._

_He cried harder. "She's gone. She already left. I… didn't got the chance to tell her how much I love her. I'm really such an idiot." he said between sobs._

"_We will meet her again, Noll." He said, hoping that it will calm him down, __**So, this how Oliver Davis looks like when he's brokenhearted,**__ he thought. He didn't answer, he just cried into his brother's shoulder, they stay in that position for almost one hour. When he calm down Gene told him to go home and rest, and he didn't protest like what he always do._

He snapped out from his thought when the phone ring, Gene answered it for him.

"It's father, on line three" he stated

"Yes?" he asked irritably

"Noll, how are you? Have you found her?" His father asked, he groaned, he don't want to be asked about it.

He inhaled deeply, "Not yet. What do you want?"

His father sighed "I would like you and your branch to take this joint case."

He raised his eyebrow, _Joint case, that's new_ he thought "Joint case between?"

"The IPR. Originally, I asked their branch here in England, but it seems he forwarded it to their main office in Russia since the location is in Moscow." He explained.

"And why do you want my branch to take it? Isn't there some people who can form a team and take it?"

"We're working for another case. But don't worry, we will come with you when giving the details to the IPR members"

_IPR huh, its seems their owner is young as me,_ "If I remember correctly father, the name of their boss is Alex, right?" he asked

"Yes. Are you gonna take it? Bring your whole team with you."

"Yes, I will. When we will meet them?"

"Tomorrow, the sooner the better."

"Got it." He hung up the phone.

He went to his brother's desk – it was formerly Mai's desk – and saw him sleeping, _Mai,_ he mentally called, before it was her that he always saw sleeping, and he always scolded her and threatens to cut off his paycheck, he smiled as those times playing in his mind.

"Wake up, Gene."

"Five more minutes." He mumbled

He sighed, "No, that won't do. Father has a case on us, call everybody to meet here in the office now, I will discuss everything"

"Yea, yeah, idiot scientist"

He went back to his office while Gene making a call. _Joint case with the IPR huh, interesting, let's see who can solve this case faster, I'll just hope their boss is not stupid, _he smirked at his thought. He know the reputation of IPR in England, Yulian is sociable, much exposed to the media than him, but on the other hand, he heard that the main office's owner don't want to face the media and the client – if possible – and _he _will let _his _assistant to do the negotiation. _Show me what you got… Alex_, he thought.

"They're here, Noll" his brother called

He walked out from his office and went to the common room. Everyone is here, including Masako, he's still angry at the young medium, he still didn't forgive her from what she did to Mai before.

"So, Naru what's the case this time?" John asked first

"It's a joint case between us and the IPR"

"IPR, you mean **that** IPR? The International Parapsychology Research?" Yasu asked for confirmation.

"Yes" he plainly answered

Everybody went silent, even Lin stopped from typing.

"You accepted a joint case with the IPR?" he asked unbelievably,

Ayako raised her eyebrow on his plain answer "I heard that the IPR main office boss' can be rivaled to you, young and intelligent, _he's_ a researcher also."

Bou-san snickered, "So, Oliver Davis will meet his rival huh. I wonder how this case will go."

"That's why I'm also looking forward to it."

"So, we're going to Russia?" Masako asked.

"Yes, because the location of this case is in Moscow"

Yasu sighed, "It will be more fun if Mai is with us."

Everyone stared at him, "Yeah." John said softly.

Gene, who's still listening, can't help but smile. He's excited. _Mai_, he thought, _we will meet you there huh? We will finally meet you again. I wonder how Noll will react._

"Eugene Davis" Naru called.

He still smiling, "what?" he asked

"Why are you smiling too much?"

"Because you're already grumpy Oliver Davis. I'm smiling for the two of us."

Everyone laugh at his statement even Lin.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He looked at his team "We will leave tomorrow morning, to Moscow, and father will be waiting for us on the airport, pack for at least three weeks' worth of clothing. That's all, you're dismissed" he stood up and went back to his office.

Meanwhile in Moscow, Russia…

"Okay Alex, last pose for today." Sasha said, he's the assigned photographer on her photo shoot, she obeyed him, she don't have the energy to argue, she's tired from her concert last night which ended twelve midnight. _After this, I will sleep whole day_, she thought.

After some shoots, "Okay, good! That's it! Let's wrap today's schedule."

She exhaled loudly, "gah! At last, it's done! I can sleep whole day now." She's packing up her things when Sasha said, "Don't forget Alex, the BSPR will be arriving tomorrow at the office."

She nodded, "Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow" she kissed him on the cheek, she drive herself home.

She sighed when she arrived home, "Tomorrow will be a long day" she said to herself. The maids greeted her, she just smile in response, and went directly to her room, took a shower, put her PJs, and went to sleep.

_She saw herself standing on a garden, and heard someone crying from the house. It was a huge house, _**it's familiar, I've been here before.**_ She thought, she entered the house, and stunned from what she saw, it's herself, four years younger, hugging a bloody body of a young man._

"_**I'm leaving my five shikis to you Alex…"**__ the young man said slowly, his shikis glowed, __**"Listen to my last order, protect Alex on my behalf, no matter what happen. She's your new master now."**_

"_**Understood, Ryuu-sama"**__ the five of them said in unison, then vanished_

_He looked at her, and reached for her face, he wiped her tears away, __**"I will always love you… Alex."**__ he smiled before closing his eyes – forever._

"_**Ryuu.."**__ she shook the body, __**"Please wake up! Please!" **__she scream crying. __**"Please, don't die, don't leave me!"**__ she said between sobs._

_She heard an evil laugh from behind, her eyes widen when she saw three grotesque creatures, they defeated the other three, but judging from the energy that she has now, she doubt if she can defeat them all. They continue laughing, __**"How does it feel to see young beloved died in front of you?"**__ said the smaller one._

"_**So, this your way of breaking me apart!" **__she screamed, __**"You only want me right? Then kill me already!"**__ The house started shaking._

_The other one snickered, __**"Not yet, little white witch. You're not fully grown yet, we will break you more."**_

"_**We will lead you to come to us, again."**__ The biggest of the three said, he looked at Ryuu, __**"that guy's soul can't move on, he will be sealed in this house, always suffering, together with the other souls in this house." **__He laugh maniacally louder._

_She tried to stand up, but she can't do it, she's too weak to fight, __**"Don't think about it, you're just wasting your time."**_

"_**Alex!"**__ someone called from the outside, it was Rurik, Vlad, Alexander, and Boris. They froze from what they saw._

_Boris helped her to get up, and took care of Ryuu's body__**. "It's my fault! It's my fault for being weak!"**__ she cried on his chest, he just hugged her and tried to calm her down._

_Rurik called his shikis and bind the three demons, and Alexander used a summoning spell to summoned his ekiki*, the smaller of the three tried to struggled, but he was defeated eventually. Biggest of the three is much powerful than they thought, Rurik's shikis' attack are hurting him but not enough to kill him, he screamed from the pain, and Alexander's ekikis took that opportunity to attack him but he put a barrier to his self._

"_**What?!"**__ the two guys can't believe from they saw, a demon who can use a barrier. But it was not a strong barrier, ekikis tried to pass thru the barrier, when they manage to breach it, the demon escaped._

"_**This is not yet over! I will come back! I will have my hand on that little white witch!"**__ he yelled from a fading voice. There's one more demon to take care of, he continued to struggle, the shikis are still binding him __**"You humans have no rights to have demons working for you! You lowlife creatures!"**__ he yelled angrily._

_Alexander went to him,__** "Unfortunately, there are some demons that are willing to work for us to save people from impure demons such as yourself."**__ He looked at looked at Rurik, and nodded __**"Finish him!"**__ they both ordered, Rurik to his shikis; and Alexander to his ekikis._

_Vlad went to the basement and found Kir, Sasha and Sashura being tied up by a chain, bruises and cuts all-over their body, and guarded by a demon._

"_**Oh, you can't have them, I'm not yet done playing with them."**__ He smile devilishly._

_He raised his hand on the air, __**"Sorry but, your playing time is over since I stepped in this room. Release them!" **__he commanded, the demon__just snickered__**, "This is your last chance, release them, and go back to your world."**_

"_**Do you think I will listen to a mere human?"**__ he answered angrily._

_He waved some signs in the air thru his fingers, and a magic circle appear, the demon's eyes widen __**"D-don't tell me that's the portal to our world?"**__ he just smirked, the demon become more angry at him __**"There's no way a mere human knows that spell"**__, Vlad just looked at him and he used the kuji which are specifically for demons and put his body on the circle, __**"Who said I'm a mere human? I'm a demon hunter, and I hunt your races, impure one."**__ Waved the ninth cut, and pushed his back to the portal, he heard him scream._

_He's on his knees when the demon was gone__**, "Dammit! It consumed too much of my energy."**__ He said, he's panting hard. He called the others to help him carry their other friends._

_The scene faded. Mai covered her mouth and shook her head, __**"No, don't tell we're going back to that house" **__she told herself._

Mai woke up from a nightmare, a nightmare that happens four years ago. She look at the clock, it's still two in the morning, she calm herself and went back to sleep, to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**[A/N]**

*Ekiki – Making demons or spirits you captured WORK FOR YOU.

Shiki – the spirit being EMPLOYED BY YOU

Next weekend will be chapters 8 and 9…


	8. The Case

**Chapter 8 – The Interview, The Meeting, The Boss, The Truth, The Case**

* * *

**8:00 AM, Moscow International Airport – Moscow, Russia**

When Naru and his team plus Madoka arrived at the airport, they were greeted by his parents.

Her mother hugged him and Gene, "I'm glad you're both safe."

"Yeah, I'm excited meeting the IPR members, specially their boss" Gene stated, excitement can be seen thru his eyes

"And why would you be?" Naru asked

He just shrugged. _I can't tell you Noll, I want you to see it for yourself, _he thought.

"C'mon, the car's waiting this way." Martin said, they followed him and hop in the car

"Are we going directly at their office?" Gene asked

His mother answered, "No, we will drop by at the hotel first. You can have your breakfast there, and you can rest a bit too"

Bou-san yawned, "That's a good idea. I'm dead tired."

Thwack! Thwack! "What was that for old hag?" Bou-san complained, rubbing the area where Ayako hit him.

"To make you stay awake, idiot monk"

Everyone laugh at their usual useless fight.

Naru ignored them, "What's this case all about father?"

Gene smack his brother's head "Geez, can't you wait until we arrive? We're still in the car, idiot scientist."

"You don't need to smack me, useless medium." He shot back

"Huh? Why? Are you afraid that you will lose some of your brain cells and become more idiot than you are now?" Naru glared at him.

Bou-san snickered "Naru – zero, Gene – one point." He faced the other SPR members, "You owe me 10000 yen each." The whole team groaned – including Lin and Madoka.

Naru narrowed his eyes to him, "You make use of our arguments to make money?" Gene just laugh.

"Of course! Even between you and Mai, I always bet at her, and I always lost." He grinned.

"If only you bet on me, you're rich now." He said while reading.

Bou-san snickered, "Where's the challenge on that?"

Gene wanted to say something when he saw a billboard of a woman – blond hair and green eyes, in a summer outfit – his eyes widened when he recognized her, _Mai!_, he mentally exclaimed.

"Hmm. It seems their pop star is back on her feet." Ayako said, referring to the billboards.

"That's Xandra Irina, right? I remember her doing a charity concert tour in Japan five years ago" Masako stated.

Bou-san added, "Yeah, yeah. I remember that too. She's still young at that time."

"I heard that her fiancé died four years ago, so she rested from showbiz and took a vacation abroad." Madoka informed

"I heard that news too. She's quite popular in Australia, you know, she scheduled a concert Sydney, but because of what happened, it was cancelled." John said softly. "I hope she already moved on" he added.

"She did! She already moved on!" Gene shouted. Everyone looked at him, even his father that's driving.

"And what made you say that confidently?" Madoka grinned at him.

"Because she won't be on standing on the stage again if she's still moving on right?" they were dumbfounded on his answer. The car stopped in front of a twenty-floored hotel.

"Where here." Martin said.

Bou-san open his mouth from amazement, thwack! Thwack! Thwack! "Close your mouth you idiot monk!"

"Ow! Old hag, you can tell me that without hitting me, you know."

"If you want to argue, do it somewhere else, don't embarrass yourselves here." It was Naru.

They continue their way to the hotel. Martin went to the receptionist, and talking in English, **"The four rooms reserved under the name Martin Davis, please"** Martin said to the receptionist.

"**Please wait a moment, sir" **He checked the computer, and nodded, he faced him and gave him four keys **"Here they are sir, enjoy your stay."** he said in a business manner tone.

He took the before saying thank you, the receptionist smiled at them, "nihongji*" he whispered but loud enough for the team to hear, they faced him with a questioning look, "right?" asking for confirmation.

"Y-yeah" Bou-san answered.

"Enjoy your stay" and he bowed.

They continue their way to their respected rooms, all the girls will be in one room; Lin, Naru, and Gene; Bou-san, John, and Yasuhara; and Martin and Luella. They unpacked their things, while watching some shows in TV.

"It seems Xandra's recent concert was all-over the news" Masako said while scrolling the channels.

Ayako nodded, "It's kinda like 'Welcome Back' concert, it's been four years already"

"Yeah, yeah, it's a shame, I didn't get a chance to watch it" Madoka added.

Masako hushed them "It's a live interview, let's listen"

"So, will you be more active in showbiz now Xandra?" the reporter asked

Madoka frowned, "They speak in Russian, we can't understand anything"

"Wait, there's a subtitle, this interview will be shown worldwide you know" Ayako said in "a-matter-of-fact" tone

"I don't know yet, it's seems my comeback concert was a huge success, uhm, maybe?" Xandra smiled.

They all gasped when they saw her smiled, "Mai!" the three girls said together, they looked at each other,

Masako was the first one to recovered from the shock, "It's not possible right? Maybe she just have the same smile as Mai."

Madoka and Ayako nodded in agreement, they continue to watch the interview.

Meanwhile, while Naru, Gene, and Lin are unpacking their things, Bou-san and his roommates barge in,

"You have to watch this…" he turned on the TV and put it on the channel where Xandra Irina was being interviewed.

Naru raised his eyebrow, "And why would we concern our lives with her?" he asked to Bou-san,

"When smiled, she looked like Mai" Yasuhara answered.

Their eyes are now focused at the TV screen.

"Where were you this last four years? They said, you took a vacation abroad, care to tell us where?" The reporter asked her again.

She's thinking on what will she say "Let's just say, I went far, far, far away, to a place where I can be myself, to a place where I moved on from _his_ death, and specially, to a place where I fell in love and get brokenhearted… again" her voice was full of love and loneliness when she said the last phrase.

They stare at her, awed with her statement. Although she's smiling, they can see in her eyes that she's keeping her tears from showing.

"And who's this guy who broke your heart?" the reporter asked curiously

She shook her head "Sorry but, I can't tell you his name. He's the kind of person who will lie just to keep his self away from the media."

"She can't be Mai right?" John asked nervously

"Right, she can't even understand English, how much more speaking in Russian" Naru answered.

Lin nodded, "If she's Russian, we should heard it from her Japanese accent."

"Besides, she's blond with green eyes, Mai-_chan _has cinnamon hair, and chocolate brown eyes." Yasuhara added.

Bou-san's still staring at the screen, Gene glared at his brother, _You underestimated her too much, Noll_, he thought, and he went out the room.

"What is his nationality?"

She put her index finger on her chin, thinking – she copied Naru's "thinking mode pose" – she sighed and said "an English man but a Japanese descendant."

With that, Naru turned off the TV, "Enough with this nonsense, we're here to work, not to gossip about showbiz." They were about to leave the room when Luella came, and told them to have breakfast.

**10:00 AM – IPR Office**

Alexander is sitting at the boss' chair, he's doing some filing, since Alex was being interviewed at the moment. The twins Sasha and Sashura are watching the live interview while eating some snacks.

"Hey Xander, what time will the BSPR come?" Sasha asked

He looked at him "Hmm? Anytime now, so please, put your feet off the table and sit properly" he scolded.

"No, no. I'm tired" It was Sashura this time.

He sighed and a small smile curved in his lips, _they're still childish despite of their age_, he thought.

"Wah! Look!" they shouted excitedly together, pointing at the TV screen, it startled him, and dropped the files.

"What is it?" he asked deadpanned

Sasha grinned at him "The concert, they will show it on the TV now, for those who didn't got a to watch it."

They are watching the concert when they heard a soft knock on the door, "Okay, rock-paper-scissors, the loser will open the door" Sasha said, preparing his hand to strike. Xander just sighed at the two.

"Yosh! I won! Shura, you open the door" Sasha ordered, on his brother.

When he open the door, a man on his forties greeted him, beside him was a woman on her early forties too, _maybe his wife_, he thought. He looked at the people behind them – there's a twins, one is smiling, and the other is grumpy, maybe with the same age as him, or younger; a stoic tall Chinese man, beside him was a cheerful girl, with rosy-pink hair; behind her was a red-haired girl with too much make-up, and a girl in _kimono_, with a doll-like beauty; there's a guy who looks like a rock-star, and a normal guy with glasses, and a blond guy.

Martin cleared his throat and handed him a card **"I'm Martin Davis, from BSPR, and this is my wife"** gesturing to the woman beside him **"and these twins are my son, Eugene and Oliver Davis"** he looked at them, **"and these people are my son's team. We would like to talk to your boss, **_**Alex**_**, about the joint case that I requested."**

He widened the door, **"Sorry for being rude"** he smiled **"Come in."**

When he lead them to the common room, Sasha was still there eating, while watching the replay of the concert.

"Xander, they're here, call them already." He looked at his brother "Hey, idiot! The BSPR are here already." He smack his feet off.

The guests were amazed to see that there are two of them. And they are more shocked when they heard the language that he used – it was Japanese!

"No way! I'm comfortable in here." He said lazily. Sashura took the pillow and thwack him, his twin was knocked out to floor.

"What the hell was that for, idiot researcher?" he whined

"I told you the guests are already here, useless model!" he shot back.

The BSPR can't help but smile at the two of them, _they're just like Naru and Gene_, they all thought.

Sasha stood up, "Sorry, please take a seat, and watch the concert with me."

"We came here for work." Naru's stated with a cold voice. He stood up and went to the boss' table, where Alexander was still filing some papers, Gene was trying to stop him, but it's no use. _Idiot scientist, that not him, Alex is a__** HER,**_he thought to his self.

"**Alex, we would like you call your team right here so we can discuss about the case already"** he said in English, Xander and the twins looked at him, he raised his eyebrow.

"I'm sorry but, I'm not the boss" he said in Japanese, trying not to laugh

"What?" Ayako exclaimed

"Then why are you sitting in that chair?" Bou-san added

"Why? Is there a law to forbid a person to sit on their boss' chair?"

They both shook their head.

"Your Alexander right? Yulian's _**brother**_?" he asked impatiently, he's starting to get angry. _What the hell? Is he playing on me? What do he think of them, a bunch of idiots?_ He angrily thought.

Alexander widened his eyes, and the twins started to giggled "You got the wrong person. The _**Alex**_ that you're looking for is not yet here. And _**Alex **_is Yulian's _**SISTER**_" emphasizing the last word.

"What?! Your boss is a girl?!" They all exclaimed. Even Martin and Lin, they didn't know it too, all this time they thought that 'Alex' is a guy, Naru widened his eyes for a moment from incredulity.

"Alex is a **GIRL**?" he asked him for verification

Xander and the twins nodded "Yeah, her real name is Mariya Alexandra Irina Ivanov" the twins answered.

"How old is she?" Martin asked suddenly

"Eighteen, turning nineteen this year" Sashura answered

"Then she's younger than Oliver! How could his brother carelessly forwarded this case to her." That was Lin, he almost yelled.

Xander and the twins, glared at him "if I were you, you shouldn't underestimate her, because not even your shikis can protect you if you made her angry, I mean, **really** angry" the three said together while glaring at him, Lin flinched from the way they glared.

"How did you know him having a shikis?" Madoka glared angrily at them too, she's angry from the way they glared at his boyfriend.

They raised their eyebrow at her mundane question "Because we can see them." the twins said harshly, Madoka cling onto Lin's hand, and he assure her with holding her hand tighter.

"Five right?" Sasha gestured his hand with the number

"One on each twin, and one on that girl beside you, and two are with you" Sashura confidently continued.

"Yeah." Was all Lin could only utter.

Xander looked at Naru, "I can't look at that files Mr Davis, I guess you will have to wait for her" with that, Naru went back to the couch. _What kind of boss they have? Having someone to sit on __**her**__ chair, and most importantly, __**late!**__ Is she underestimating us?_ He thought angrily

"Hey, we haven't introduced ourselves right?" Sasha said.

Gene shook his head "No, you haven't"

"Our bad, I'm Sashura Ustrashkin"

"Sasha Ustrashkin" he said plainly

"You're **that** Sasha? The singer-model Sasha?" Ayako and Madoka squealed

"And don't forget, professional photographer…" his brother proudly adde.

"Really? Amazing!" The two girls said together

The team introduced their selves one by one, their smiling faces turned into anger when Masako introduced herself, even Alexander looked at her angrily.

"So…" it was Xander, trying to hide his anger and disgust in his voice

Sasha continued, "You are…"

"Masako Hara" Sashura finished it.

Masako blushed, _So, I'm also well-known here_, she thought.

"Amazing Hara-san, even here there are people who know you" John said innocently. She blushed more.

The introduction continue, they stared closely at Lin, and it seems he noticed it too, and asked why.

"You…" Sashura started

"Looked like someone we know" Sasha finished his sentence, "Right, Xander?"

The guy stared closely at him too, "Yeah" he confirmed.

Lin raised his eyebrow "And who's that someone?"

They're about to answered when Xander said "She's still have a recording, she will be here in thirty minutes"

"Recording?" Masako asked

Xander looked at her "Yeah, of her new songs"

Someone barge in the office, ignoring the guests, "Hey idiots! Have you watched Alex's live interview earlier? What the hell was that 'An English man, but a Japanese descendant' who was that?" his tone demanded for an answer immediately

Xander sighed, "Boris calm down"

"Wait! You mean your boss is the famous Xandra Irina?" Madoka squealed excitedly.

That was when he noticed them, he looked at the twins, "They are the BSPR" they said together.

"I'm Boris Ryzhkov" he bowed as he introduced his self

"Aren't you one of the professors in Cambridge?" it was Martin who asked

"Ah! Martin Davis. Oliver Davis. It's nice to see you here." He looked at the guy sitting beside Naru "How are you Eugene?" he asked

Gene smiled "I'm doing fine. Thanks"

Two more people barge in the office, and greeted cheerfully, "Good Morning! Alex's answer on her interview this morning was amazing, lots of reporter wants to know who's that 'English man but a Japanese descendant'" it was Kir and Vlad, the team looked at them confusedly.

"They're Mai-_chan_'s friend, right?" John whispered at Yasuhara, who just nodded.

When the two noticed the guests, the atmosphere changed, ire can be seen thru their eyes, especially towards Masako and Naru.

Boris thwacked them both "Calm Down." He charged.

"What are they doing here, Xander? What the hell was the SPR doing here?!" Kir yelled, and the table starting to lift up on the air. "Does Alex knows about this?!" he yelled again, Vlad hit him on the head with the folders that was on the table, telling him to calm down.

"SPR?!" The IPR minus Vlad asked shockingly

Vlad nodded, "Yeah, the Japan branch of BSPR" he looked at Martin "Martin Davis, I thought this joint case is between us, the IPR and the BSPR, that's what Yulian informed us, and not the SPR" he's started to get angry too.

"Do you have any problem working with them?" Luella asked worriedly.

"We don't want to work with someone who doesn't trust his employee." Kir shot a death glare to Naru, and unexpectedly he ceased a glaring contest with him.

Vlad looked at Masako angrily "And to someone who insulted her co-worker, and questioning their upbringing, right Masako Hara?" he smirked, an evil smirked. Masako looked down, she's ashamed.

The twins stood up, as if they're disgusted from the people in front of them, "So, she's **that** Masako Hara?" Xander almost shouted.

The twins whispering at each other – a whisper that their guests can still hear – "Heh~ so **that's** her?" Sashura teasingly asked his brother, but still looking at her.

Sasha nodded "The one who said that orphans are social climbers and disgusting. So it means we're social climber and disgusting?" they are now looking straight at her

"Looks can be deceiving" Boris shook his head.

"Be careful Boris, she might called you a social climber and question your upbringing because you're an orphan" Xander _loudly _teased him,

"Hey! I can say the same thing to you too Xander." He teased back

They're still 'whispering' to each other, and Masako can still heard what they are saying, and started to cry, _So, they just know me because of what I've done and said to Mai, before_, she thought bitterly.

Ayako stood up, "Aren't you have enough?" she still can't forgive Masako from what she did to Mai one year ago, but still, this is too much.

"Why? Did she get enough insulting Mai back then? If Mai didn't slapped her, she will continue on insulting her." Kir uttered fiercely.

The door opened, it was Rurik, he sense the intense ire in the air, when he saw their guests, he sighed in understanding, he went to where the IPR team is, "She's on her way" and he looked at Kir, "Calm down, do you want her to get angry?" he said calmly, Kir looked at him and calm down, the air is still full of anger when he looked at the others their giving Naru a death glares, "You too guys, calm down" He faced Martin, and bowed "Sorry, this team sometimes acts without thinking" he reached his hand "I'm Rurik Zvansky, Alex's assistant."

Martin took his hand, and shook it "I'm Martin Davis, and my wife Luella." He's about to introduce his sons but he cut him off.

"I already know them, the SPR team, and what are they doing here in Russia, Mr. Davis?" he looked at Martin

"They will be your joint team."

He frowned "From what we heard from Yulian, it's not the Japan branch, but rather it's the BSPR – the main office"

"I already told Yulian about this, and he already gave us his approval"

"When did you informed him?"

"Last night."

Rurik open his mouth to ask more things but their attention went to the door that was abruptly opened, and a petite girl with cinnamon hair and chocolate brown eyes come in.

"I'm so sorry guys!" she exclaimed, "The recording took more time than I expected, and there are reporters waiting for me at the main door! I have to take off my blond wig and contacts, just to get out from the studio. I mean, honestly guys, I didn't expect that my answer makes a huge ruckus in showbiz." She explained non-stop, she's still facing at her table – where the IPR members stood, she didn't notice the stunned guests on the couch, she looked at her team, "Gah! I'm tired, let's get over this already, where's Ru?" she asked.

Xander pointed at her back, "Over there"

When she turned back, her body stiffened from the sight, it was her SPR family.

"MAI?!" they all called

Rurik put his hand on her shoulder, "Let me introduce the owner of IPR main office, Mariya Alexandra Irina Ivanov"

Naru was stunned to see the girl that he's been looking for one year, standing in front of them and saying she's the boss of the other team who will be supposedly working together with them, _you gotta be kidding me, right?_ he thought, he looked at Gene, but he seems calm as if he's expecting it already. _That useless medium, he knew it already! That's why he's eager to meet their boss, he knew it was Mai!_ he glared at his brother.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" she shrieked. She looked at her assistant, "Ru, kindly explain it to me" she demanded.

He sighed "it seems that your brother failed to informed us that this case is between us and the SPR, not the BSPR"

Her eyes widened. "What?! That idiot!" she took her phone and called his brother. "YULIAN, YOU JERK! WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME AHEAD OF TIME THAT WE WERE WORKING WITH THE SPR! IF YOU WILL NOT GIVE ME A SATISFYING ANSWER, I WILL NEVER LET YOU HAVE BORIS AND SASHA TO COME WITH YOU IN YOUR CASE IN GERMANY!" she almost yelled at him. She's not emotionally prepared to meet them… yet, most especially Naru!

Naru and the others can't believe from what they heard, they're scared from the tone that she used, but on the other hand, they're amazed. _She's the same as ever, _he smiled from his thought

"IT'S BECAUSE MY CLUMSY LITTLE SISTER, YOUR PHONE WAS TURNED OFF. YOU HAD A CONCERT TWO NIGHTS AGO, RIGHT? THEN EARLY MORNING, YOU HAVE YOUR INTERVIEW, AND THEN YOU HAVE YOUR RECORDING. AND BY THAT TIME, I ASSUME THAT THE SPR, TOGETHER WITH MARTIN DAVIS, ARE ALREADY AT THE OFFICE." He answered back, using the same tone that she used.

"YOU JERK! DON'T YELL AT ME, I'M NOT DEAF!" she heard him chuckled, she just smile "So, it's my fault?" she said in her normal cheerful voice

"Partly yes, partly mine, because I failed to call your office. So what now? Will you and your team still want to work with them?"

She looked at the SPR, there are a lot of questions they want to ask – especially Naru, and she looked at her team, they just sighed and nodded.

"Yes" is what all she said. She hang up the phone. She looked up every one, Alexander sit on her chair, the IPR team stood behind him, leaning at the wall, the others on the window.

She cleared her throat, Naru tried to start asking but she stopped him, "Let me talk first, **Oliver**" Naru looked at her, he noticed the sharp tone in her voice. "Before we will talk about the case, let me introduce myself to you **again** and explain everything" she sits on her table.

The twins wagged her hair "That's not how the boss should sit"

She chuckled "I don't care." She looked at the SPR again, their waiting for her to explain things to them, even Lin. "Let me introduced myself **again **to you guys, I'm Mariya Alexandra Irina Ivanov, my stage name is Xandra Irina. The owner of the IPR main office here in Russia, I know you wanted to ask why I was in Japan, and work at the SPR as a part-time assistant, right? The main reason is, for me to move on from the catastrophe that happened to me – and to this team – four years ago. And my brother as you all know, Yulian, suggested that Japan will be a good place for me to do that." She paused, waiting for their reactions and questions.

"What happened to you guys four years ago?" Bou-san tensely asked Mai, but he also looked at the people behind him, they're just quite.

"Someone who is very close to Alex died." Xander said softly, and sadness filled in his voice.

"Was that her fiancé? Just like what the news said?" Madoka can't help but asked

Mai nodded, "Yeah, he died three days after our engagement." They all gasped. They can't believe that the Mai, who's loud, cheerful, and danger magnet, was bearing such pain, grief, sorrow, and heartache.

"How did he die?" Yasu asked curiously.

The SPR saw the sadness on Mai's eyes, in fact, not just Mai's but on the eyes of the whole IPR team. Some are looking at floor, the others are closing their eyes, as if they don't want to hear her answer, and they saw Vlad clenched his fist, and gritting his teeth, while his eyes are closed.

"He died when…" she breathed deeply "we're on a case." She stopped when she heard someone punched the wall behind her, when looked back, she saw Kir, and his fist on the wall – bleeding.

"Sorry. I will be in our room." He plainly stated, and he entered at the room right at the corner, she just nodded.

She looked at the SPR again, and their eyes are worried "okay, it was when the demons tried to kill me, and he used his body to shield me from the attack, and he died in front of me, he died protecting me." She hugged herself, to prevent her body from shaking. The twins hugged her from behind, the others closed their eyes, "It was our mistake, Alex" Vlad said softly.

"Demons?" Lin asked.

She looked at him, "Yes. Demons. Because what my team's strong point in hunting are not with ghosts, but rather demons, especially impure ones." Lin's eyes widened.

"Like Urado…" he stated

"Yeah. Most are human-turned-demon creatures, and the others are those creatures who wander here just to kill innocent people and trapped their souls."

"Then why did you change your name? And pretended to be someone else?" Masako asked hastily

"I don't want the media interfering me while I'm on a 'vacation'" he answered bluntly

"What about your abilities and powers?" John asked.

Bou-san nodded "Yeah, yeah. I mean, you hunt demons with solely relying on your instinct and ESP?" everyone looked at her, waiting for her answer.

She heard a snickered from behind, it was the twins, "Do you think she's stupid?" they both asked.

She glared at them, and they both shut up, she inhaled deeply, and exhaled "As you all know I have ESP right? I'm also a PK user, if you asked what kind of PK I'm specializing in? It's PK-LT. I'm also like Masako and Gene, a medium –"

"A true medium, like Gene, not like that girl" Boris corrected her.

She just rolled her eyes "Fine, a true medium, telepathic, and researcher."

"But all those abilities can't hunt demons." That was Ayako.

She sighed, "Do you believe in witches?" she directly asked them, they went silent on her question.

"You mean that person with long hair and ride on a broomstick, like Harry Potter?" Bou-san said.

Thwack! "It's not the time joke, idiot monk" Ayako hit him – again.

She laugh softly, "Yeah, if that's how you described a witch." She looked at them again "Do you believe in them?"

"I doubt their existance" John said first

Masako shook her head "No"

"Obviously no." Lastly Madoka. The others didn't answer.

"Well, you better believe it, because Yulian and I are descendants of a witch" she said plainly. "But girls tend to have the stronger witch's power than the boys, and those astounding powers were still sealed inside their body until their awakening." she continued. They doubtingly stare at her, obviously didn't understand any of her explanation

Xander, who notice their looks, sighed "Alex, is not just a witch who practice witchcraft, but she's the only white witch left – which is a girl. Their mother was killed because of this reason." He explained, hoping they will get it. Lin stood up from his seat.

"White Witch, you say?" he asked looking unbelievably at Mai, she nodded.

"They truly exist?" he asked again

"Yeah. **We **truly exist, Lin. But as far as I know, there only two of us are left now, me and my brother" she answered him emphasizing the word 'we'

"Why? What happen to the other white witches?" Gene asked

"According to legends, white witches are rare species, and they needs to be awaken, in order to be a..."

"Perfect onmyouji" Kir continued, walking out from the room with a bandage on his right hand, and looked at him "right, Koujo Lin?" Lin nodded at him.

"That's why they were feared – especially the girls – when the other magicians, sorcerers, and other witches before, learned that there is a baby about to be born, and it's a girl, they will kill her immediately, they will kill her before they will be awaken." Vlad explained

John looked at Mai "Have you already performed the awakening ceremony, Mai?" he asked anxiously

She shook her head, "Not yet."

"Then why you didn't used your abilities during our cases before? If you're like Gene, it means you're a great medium than Hara-san? Why are you playing innocently to us before?" Naru asked, _I can't believe it! She deceived us, playing innocently_, he thought angrily.

She looked at Gene, and then to the others, and lastly to Naru, "Because my powers and abilities were sealed up along with my memories – well, some of them – for one year and ten months and eighty day" she looked at Gene who's grinning at her.

Lin's eyes widened. "It was… you?" he asked. Now, everyone's looking at him confusedly.

"Yes. I'm the one helped Eugene that night."

Naru, Martin and Luella froze, they're trying to process what did she just said.

"What do you mean, Mai?" Madoka asked

"My witch's power and abilities – like PK, and being a medium – and some of my memories were used to maintain the barrier underwater, and my life energy, and some powers were used to maintain the red shield. And my shikis, I ordered them to keep his body **alive**." She explained, "and Oliver… I'm the one who messed up with your vision, I'm sorry" she softly said

"What? You can manipulate someone's vision too?" Ayako asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

"What?!" Naru exclaimed, he stood up, and walk towards her, "Do you know how my life feels like since I saw **that** vision?!" he yelled at her

"Noll, you idiot! Stop it!" Gene stopped him. "I'm the one who told her to messed up with your vision, to make sure you will go to Japan to find me."

Naru looked at his brother. "What?"

Gene run his fingers thru his hair, "That night, when she said that she will change your vision, I gave her the permission to do it. BECAUSE I TRUST HER!" he loudly stated his last sentence, Mai and the IPR looked at him. "I'm not like you Noll, I trust Mai since the night she saved me, she still helped me although I'm a stranger, she still helped me knowing that her powers will also be sealed away." He said softly.

"Why did you helped Gene that time? Why are you at the place where he was _supposedly_ be killed?" it was Luella, she's almost crying thinking that she's an accomplice of the murderer.

"Their mother." She stated

"Eh?" Luella was confused

"Their biological mother, asked for my help. She visited me in my dreams three nights **before** the accident, I didn't saw her though, only her voice. Why I'm at that place? Let's say, fate brought me there."

Everybody was silent, dumfounded. Too confused to ask anything.

"Where did you get your name "Mai"?" Madoka finally asked.

"Oh that one." She chuckled "It's the abbreviation of my real name. M.A.I"

Xander and the others started to laugh, "We still can't believe you thought about that. Abbreviating your names to make a new one." Kir said between giggles.

She glared at them, and look at the SPR team "Any questions?" they shook their heads, Naru still staring at her, she's about to ask if he still have questions, but suddenly there are eight lights glowed around her. Her shikis are back, _yeah, because the SPR already know about me, no need to hide them,_ she thought.

_Maihime, since you already told them the truth, we can resume to our duty protecting you, right?_

_Yeah. Sorry for making you wait for a long time._ She answered

"Oh, they're back!" Rurik excitedly said, "Mine are excited as well" he added.

"Ah! We miss your shikis. Come on." the twins cheered, and they went to them – playing!

"Your shikis?" Ayako, Yasu, and Bou-san asked

"You also owned a shikis?" Madoka asked too.

She nodded "Yeah, I originally owned three, and the other five was given to me by Ryuu."

Covering her mouth, Masako asked "Who's Ryuu?"

"My late fiancé."

"Shikis cannot be easily given to someone who is not a direct descendant or part of your lineage." Lin commented

"I know, but _technically_, I'm one of their owner. Ryuu and I are the one who employed them but since I can't still perfectly control my powers back then, Ryuu took care of them."

His eyes widened "Is that possible?"

"You haven't try it?" she asked back in disbelief, he shook his head. She just 'hmm-ed'

"So your brother, did he also owned a shikis?" he continue asking

"Yup, we even exchange one of our shikis, for emergency communicating purposes"

"How many did he owned?"

"Six, but the two of them guarding the house"

Lin stop asking questions.

"So, no more questions?" she asked.

"No more surprises?" Naru asked back, she frowned, seeing this Naru continued "You better told us more about you Mai, you lied to us."

"Heh~ what's the difference from what you've done, Oliver? Didn't you lied to us too?" Naru was silent, _right, I've done the same thing too, _he thought.

She sighed, "Alright, did you know the name Mariya Ivanov?"

Their eyes widened. _What now?_ They all thought.

Martin asked "That parapsychology and paranormal researcher, who took her PhD degree at the age of fourteen at Harvard?" she nodded, "Yes"

Naru widened his eyes for a moment, and asked for confirmation "It's you?" she nodded again.

"The critics said that you can be rivaled to Oliver Davis" Bou-san teasingly looked at Naru

She rolled her eyes "I don't care about rivalry, Bou-san"

"Do you know? Noll use your work as his major reference?" Gene said in a "it's-a-matter-of-fact" tone. Naru gave him a death glare.

"Ah! Speaking of book. Have you read the book entitled _"My Japan Ghost Stories"_?"

They shook their heads.

"That book is always sold out. Wherever bookstore I went." Yasu whined.

John nodded "Yeah, it's really famous. And since that book was release, the SPR got a lot of cases, I wonder why."

"I noticed it too, since last year right? I heard that it was distributed internationally." Bou-san

"Heh~ so you use that little brain of yours to read a book huh." Ayako teased him, and they started an argument – again.

"They said it's a fiction and some said it's a fact." Masako added.

"So do you want to read it?" she said excitedly. They nodded.

She looked at the person who's sitting on her chair, "Xander, I will order eleven copies both Japanese and English versions, please." He called his publishing company and after a few minutes, it arrived. She gave them both versions, Japanese and English. When they saw the author, they looked at her.

"You're the one who wrote it?" Madoka asked coriously. She just smile at her, as her way of saying 'yes'

"Read the dedication" the twins said to them, and they flip the book to where the dedication is.

_To my SPR family,_

_Without them, Without those cases that we went together,_

_I won't be able to compile those experiences and write this book._

_To K. Shibuya, for helping the clients by accepting their cases._

_To Gene, for being my spirit guide, a friend._

_M. Ivanov_

"Look at the last page." They said again. They flip to the last page, Naru and Lin widened their eyes, Gene, Madoka and Ayako giggled, and the others smiled from what they saw – it was a picture of the whole SPR team, even Madoka and Gene was there.

"So this is the reason why more people are coming to the office." Lin said, scanning the book. The others start reading it already, including Gene.

"Really? I don't know that." She looked at Naru, he's reading the back cover. "So Oliver, since everything is cleared now, can we get back to business? Can I have the details of the case, please." He looked at her and handed her the files. She read it for a moment and her eyes widened when she read the address of the client, her hands start shaking, she clenched her firsts hard which made the paper crumpled. All of the people in the room noticed her reaction.

"Alex, what wrong?" Boris said worriedly, she looked nervous, and paler than usual. She handed him the paper, when they read it, they have the same reaction as her.

"No way…" Xander whispered, the others gasped and widened their eyes.

She looked at Martin and asked "Mr. Davis, why do you think of joining this case to my brother?"

Martin looked at her, and amazed in her business-like tone, he cleared his throat "Before the client exited the office, he said 'It feels so perilous, Mr. Davis. You better add another reliable team to help you. I don't care about the payment' and that's when I contacted your brother."

"Then why you chose the IPR in England? You can asked the other paranormal companies." She asked

"I know the reputation of Yulian, and his team" he answered directly, she sighed at his answer

"This client of yours, is he from here?" Vlad asked, and Martin nodded.

"Can we call him here? There are things that I want to ask" she said softly.

"Sure" he handed her the contact information.

She faced her secretary, "Ru, can you make the call, for me please?"

He smiled. "Sure, Alex"

"So Naru, can you tell us about this case already?" Bou-san whined

"Seeing that Mai will call the client, it's better if we will wait for himself" Naru shot him a glare.

The SPR noticed that the other team seems anxious, since they read the files, especially Mai, she's sitting on her chair, she rested her elbow on the table and her intertwined hands' on her forehead, she's looking down, she looked like she's about to cry. She didn't notice her secretary went to her side after making the call.

"I can't believe the location of this case." Sasha said, in Russian

His twin nodded, "To think that we will go back to **that** place."

"I'm worried about you, Alex. Pull out from this case." Boris patted her back

"And what? Leave them there alone?" She raised her voice.

"But what if that something will happen to you?" Vlad almost raised his voice too.

"I'm tired of running away Vlad." She said crying.

"Hey, calm down. Where here, okay?" Kir tried to comfort her, he hugged her.

His assistant added. "We won't let anything happen to you, Alex."

"I'm weak that's why Ryuu died." She said sobbing, they choose not comment any further.

"Hey, did you understand any of it?" Bou-san whispered to Yasuhara.

He shook his head, "No idea."

"But Mai-_chan_ is crying." John said softly

"Maybe they know more about this case?" Masako asked.

They looked at her. "Maybe. But I wonder what they're talking about." Ayako said. They halt their conversation when they hear a soft knock on the door.

"Okay, Shura let's play rock-paper-scissors, and again, the loser will open the door" Sasha said, preparing his hand to strike. The others are just staring at them.

"Yosh! I won **again**! Shura, you open the door"

They heard Mai starting to laugh, followed by his assistant and the others.

"Shura, didn't you notice? Your brother used you as his experimental subject?" Mai asked, she's still laughing.

"That was the second time, this day." Xander added.

Sashura was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't he used his PK earlier? He manipulated your moves." She explained. Sashura looked at his twin, his grinning.

He wagged the hair of his brother, and said "Thank you my cute little brother, I gathered useful data."

"Sasha, better get ready for my revenge later." He threatened and he went to open the door. They all laugh at his childishness.

"Amazing. Mai-_chan_ saw thru it." John was amazed

Naru looked at Mai, _she's crying earlier and now she's laughing already, same as always_ he thought, and mentally smiled. A guy on his twenties entered the office together with Sashura, he introduced his name as Sergei.

Mai started to question him in English** "You're the one went to the BSPR in England for a case, right?" **he nodded.

"**Why bother to go far away?" **Naru also asked

"**Because of what the spirit wrote on the wall" **he nervously answered, everyone's looking at him.

"**What did it say?" **Rurik asked.

"'**Go away! Ask for help.' 'Don't let the IPR step in this house, especially her', the other is 'I don't want them to come back here' and the last was 'if you will ask for help, ask someone else, but not the IPR', so that's the reason why I went to England." **His scared, he almost said it stutteringly. Rurik and Lin both stopped from typing, and the others widened their eyes from the information.

"**When did you start living on that house? And what kind of paranormal activities do you personally experience?" **Naru continue asking.

"**I bought that house three years ago. The real estate agency refused it at first, but I insisted, the place is so nice and peaceful, you know, so they just give up and sell it to me. It was nice and peaceful, until three months ago, my fifteen-year old sister said she saw a young man, blood was all over his body saying 'don't let her come here' and I thought it was just her imagination. Then one night, I heard a loud cry, and some are screaming 'Set us free', the house has a basement, so I thought someone was trapped in there, but it was locked and no matter how I tried, it won't open. Then sometimes, I heard an evil laughter echoing the house and saying 'I will break you more' "** They all gasped from his story.

"**Did anything happened to your sister physically?" **He asked again

He shook his head** "So far nothing happen to her"**

"**Yet." **Mai corrected him

"**What?" **he asked with confusion

"**I mean, nothing happen to your sister yet." **She looked at him,** "You should've listened to what the real estate said." **He didn't answered her, he just look down.

"**Prepare a room for our base, and for the bedrooms –" **

"**Prepare at least five, three beds each room, and expect us four days from now. Or we will inform you if there will be changes. " **Mai cut off Naru's sentence, they just look at her, and choose not to comment.

"**You heard her." **Was all Naru could say. Sergei thanked them and Sashura escorted the client, outside the office.

"So I guess, that's what the case all about." Naru said to his team

Mai looked at Martin "Did he told you about the writing on the wall?"

Martin shook his head "No, he didn't" he looked at his wrist-watch, and at her, "it seems me and my wife will better go now, I only accompany them on their way here, since it's their first time."

"I see, let my team escort you outside, sir. Thank you for coming." She bowed at them, she looked at her team "Kindly guide them outside, guys?" she gave a "refuse-or-else…" kind of look, they gulped and hurriedly went to door to escort the guests, she just smirked at their reactions. When she closed the door, only her and the SPR team remained at the office. When she faced them, she's in Gene's arms already, giving him a teddy bear hug.

"G-Gene… I can't… breath"

"I miss you so much, you know that" he tighten his hug.

"Bou… san… help… me…" she called, but that was a mistake, when he separated Gene from her, he gave her a much more teddy bear hug.

"Jou-chan, why didn't you contact us? We're worried you know." He said with a fake sobs.

Thwack! Thwack! "You're killing her you idiot monk!" Ayako went to them, she also hugged her "I really miss you" she said.

She smiled and answered "Me too." She's sitting on the couch with them.

"Mai! Why didn't you tell us that you have lots of friends that are so **good-looking** and **yummy!" **Yasuhara squealed.

"Yeah Mai, so unfair! Especially the twins, and that assistant of yours, being surrounded by them feels like heaven!" Madoka flirtingly squealed , Lin glared at the girl.

Mai laugh and took a camera and click it "So, this is Lin when jealous!" He blushed, and another click "When he blush."

"Mai-_chan_, I'm glad you're fine. We're worried about you, you know." John said softly

She smiled sadly "Sorry for making you worry, guys. Especially when we have **little **squabbled before I left." She looked at Masako and smiled "I'm sorry for what I've done, Masako"

"What?" she asked surprisingly, she didn't expect an apology from Mai

"For slapping you" she reminded her "I will only apologize from slapping you, but I still can't forgive you from insulting my friends that time"

Tears formed from the young medium's eyes "I'm the one who should apologize for saying those things. I'm just –"

"Jealous, right?" she continued for her, and she shyly nodded.

She sighed "I understand why you did that. You know what they always say? 'Love can make you do stupid things' you're in love with him, and that what's made you said those words"

Masako cried harder and keep on saying sorry, John comforted her.

Naru looked at her "Why didn't you contact us? Or least **me**?" he emphasize his last word.

She looked at him "Because I need some time to think, over some things, Oliver"

"Mai, why are you keep on calling me by my name?" he asked.

"What's wrong with that?" she asked back

"It feels like we're totally strangers who met for the first time." He looked… sad? And then click.

"Oliver Davis, when sad." She laugh and ignored Naru's death glare.

"I haven't seen you on the astral plane too." Gene said too.

"About that, because I blocked you, the same with your brother." She faced him, "You tried on using psychometry to find me, right?" he nodded. "What did you see?" she asked excitedly.

"Darkness. Black. And sometimes, I heard your voice giggled."

She hurriedly write the things that he said, "Hmm. That's Because I blocked you." She plainly said.

"Psychometry can't be blocked" Lin disagreed

"Oh, it can Lin, I found a way on how to block it. Actually, it's one of my recent research."

"How?" Gene, Naru, Lin and Madoka asked together

She giggled, and wagged her index finger and wink "That's. A. Secret. I'm not yet finish with it. It's still on the experimental stage, and the great Oliver Davis just became one of my experimental subjects." She grinned at him, "Thanks for the data, Ollie" she teasingly said. They all laugh, and Naru blushed hard, Click! Click! Click!

She laugh so hard "Your reaction was priceless, Oliver"

"Mai!" he warned. "Give me the camera."

"No way!" She ran to his table and upload it to her computer, she giggled while still uploading. "So, who wants tea?" she asked them cheerfully.

All of them wanted it, they all miss it – especially Naru.

**[A/N]**

*nihongji – Japanese word for describing Japanese people


	9. Meet The IPR's Irregular Member

**Chapter 9 – Meet The IPR's Irregular**

* * *

Mai's the kitchen making tea for them, and she also baked some cookies, the others are on the couch arguing over the remote, and Gene was winning!

She can hear their squabbles even she's in the kitchenette, she put the cups on the tray, and the cookies on the other, and she first handed out the tea. They're watching news about showbiz, and she almost dropped the tray when hearing one of the headline. _Xandra Irina and the model Marcus Williams are they dating?_

Her eyes widened, Naru and the others are staring at her. "What the hell?!" she barked.

Yasu and Madoka grinning at hear, ear-to-ear "So, is the **rumored** true Mai?" Madoka asked teasingly.

"Of course not!" she denied. They continue to watch the news.

"_Xandra and Marcus' intimate pose to endorse the new established pool, made a huge ruckus in showbiz world, people who saw the picture said they're dating. The staffs of the said endorsement said that, they often seen the two models talking and being intimate with each other, even before the pictorial started. The fans of the both sides, said that it's not bad if the two are dating, they are both single. But, according to Xandra's close friends, the fellow models – Rurik Zvansky and Sasha Ustrashkin – Xandra is not yet ready to be in a relationship, she's still moving-on on that 'English man but a Japanese descendant' guy. So, what's the real score between the two? We're trying to get Xandra and Marcus' side about the issue."_

The photo was shown, she's wearing two-piece outfit, leaning on the rock while some of the water falls on her, she put her hands on Marcus' neck – smiling. While the guy wearing only swimming trunk, put his hands on her waist, and their faces are inches apart! The SPR was stunned from what they saw, John was blushing, she went back to the kitchenette for the cookies, when the cups on cupboard are shaking, and she feels a leaking PK, _Naru, _she thought.

At the common room, the cups on the table are shaking terribly.

Gene was grinning at his brother "Noll, calm down. It's just a rumor you know, Mai didn't confirmed it… yet" he teased

"Who said I'm angry about that?" he said angrily

"Yeah, not angry, you're **jealous**" Madoka teased

Lin sighed, "If you're not, then calm down"

He inhaled deeply, and exhale, he let himself calm down.

"That guy was hot!" Ayako commented.

"Yeah, yeah, too good-looking too. He's more handsome than Big Boss." Yasu seconded, the cups are shaking again, much worse than before.

"I said, Calm down!" Lin barked.

"I can't believe Mai has that kind of body, she's so gorgeous." Masako said shyly.

"Her body is her asset, she should show it more often." Ayako said, Madoka also agreed to the idea, Lin just sighed.

"I. WON'T. AGREE. TO. THAT" Bou-san and Naru said together, biting every syllable, punctuating every word.

"I won't let any bastard to fantasize my little sister's body." Bou-san said afterwards.

"And what about you Noll? Why won't you agree to that?" Gene asked teasingly and Naru glared at him.

"Here comes the cookies!" Mai said cheerfully.

"So Mai, is it true? About that guy and you dating?" John asked innocently. She looked at him, and then others, she saw their eyes sparkling as if waiting for a positive answer, except Lin, and Naru – whose eyes are about to kill someone.

She shook her head "No." she said plainly, she heard Naru sighed on relief

"Aw. No need to deny it Mai-_chan_." Gene grinned at her, she just rolled her eyes.

"Gene, when she said 'no' then its 'no'" Naru said sharply, and they laugh at his reaction.

"Mai, let's play a game!" Yasu suddenly suggested

"Sure! Let's play Jenga!" She cheered. She went to her table and get the colored-wooden blocks. "But let's play Throw 'n Go Jenga!"

"What's that? A variation of the game?" Yasu asked curiously, she just nodded.

"How will you play it?" Madoka was curious too

"Before we will make our move, we must throw this six-sided die first" she wiggle the die

John looked at the die "It's not a normal die, is it?"

"Nope. It has instructions written on it" Bou-san looked at it closely

"Right, because after throwing, we must follow the instructions on the die: Yellow/End – Remove any yellow block or remove any color end block; Red/Mid – Remove any red block or remove any color middle block; Blue/End – Remove any blue block or remove any color end block; Any two – Remove any two blocks of any color in any position; Wild – Remove any color block in any position; Reverse – Do not remove any blocks, but pass the die to the next player in the opposite direction, but since we're more than two, we should pass the die to the person on our left side." She explained to them

"Alright! It sounds challenging, I'm in!" Gene lively said, and the others followed, she noticed the two stoic people who appeared to be not interested. She sighed and grab the two.

"Everybody should join. Especially you Oliver."

"That's childish!"

"Heh~ Childish you say? Maybe you're just scared? You don't want us to see that Oliver Davis lacks manual dexterity, eye–hand coordination, precision, and most of all, strategy?" she's trying to provoked him, he glared at her

"Huh! Who said I lack those things? Let me show you what I got!"

_Perfect! He took the bait!_ She mentally cheered from provoking him

"Okay, let's start!"

They started to play on in quiet concentration, everybody seems afraid to make a noise. After a long, long silence, Madoka whispered to Lin "Do you know how high the tallest tower is?"

Lin thought for a moment, "I think its forty and two-thirds level" he whispered back

Everybody in the room, looked at the two and hissed them, and they both hushed. After a moment, Gene asked "what level are we right now?" they count mentally

"We're at the thirty-eighth and three-fourths level" Naru answered.

"N-ne Lin, what'd you say the tallest tower was?" Mai asked nervously

"It's forty and two… thirds…" his eyes widened from the realization, "If we keep on going like this, we might be able to break that record."

Everyone's concentration lift up to its maximum point – especially Naru's! The silence was heavy with pressure and tension is in the air.

"D-Do you have some camera Mai?" Ayako asked softly after throwing the die

"Hmm? Why?" she asked without looking at her, it will be her turn next.

Unexpectedly, it was Lin who answered her "Because, if we will be able to break the record, we should have evidence that we're the one who made it"

"Ah don't worry, I already have three cameras installed in this room" she answered as she's trying to remove the red one, everyone hold their breaths, if she will be able to do it, they will be on thirty-ninths and three-fourths level. She's so close on getting it, when the door abruptly opened, revealing Rurik, and her team members, it startled the whole team, especially her which made the tower collapsed. They all groaned from disappointment, frustration, upset, and thwart. She looked down, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists.

"Alex, were here! Geez, you're all-over the news again. And the media keeps on calling me and Sasha" Rurik whined as he entered the office. When he didn't get her reply, he looked at her and felt the thick air in the office, the cupboard in the kitchen abruptly open tossing away the cups and silverware, the couch and her table, starting to lift on the air, her files are no exceptions. And the TV's LCD starting to crack, and the SPR team starting to get worried.

"…protect you!" That's what all Rurik heard from her. When the other IPR members came, they were shocked from what they saw.

"Alex, what happen?" Sasha tried to approach her, but he was pushed away by a PK surrounding her body, their eyes widened!

"Go to that room and get away from her!" Vlad yelled when he saw a red shield starting to glow around her body. Naru and the others stood up immediately and enter to the room that was right on the corner, Ayako went to the unconscious guy who knocked out earlier, and move him to them.

"Rurik…" she called, he shivered from the way she called him

"Y-yes?" he answered, he's scared and he didn't have an idea _what he did_ to upset her that much, he flinched when he saw her murderous eyes looking at him, she stood up and walking towards him.

"Give me a reason why I should spare your life, or why I should not hung you up on the tallest tree for one year! From what you've done, not even your shikis can protect you!" she said between gritting her, the couch and the table float higher, and the TV's LCD, the cups, and even the silverware shattered completely!

"Because, there's someone who wants to see you?" he nervously said, and he notice her shield starting to fade, and the couch and table also settled down, _finally, she calmed down, _he thought.

Meanwhile, Sasha on the other hand, he starting to gain his consciousness and saw the SPR team surrounding him, and he's lying on the bed.

"How do you feel?" Ayako asked out of concern, and to think it was a hot model in front of her.

He groaned "Fine, thanks." he sit down. He scanned the room and saw them sitting on the other beds

"Whose bedroom is this?" Bou-san asked while scanning the room

"Alex's and ours" he answered

"You have a bedroom in your office?" Madoka asked surprisingly.

He nodded "Yeah. When the media invaded our home, this is where we went" he chuckled.

"Uh, which one are you?" Gene curiously asked, he got a death glare from his brother

"Hm? I'm Sasha" when he remembered what happened, "How's Alex?" he asked worriedly

"She already calmed down… I think" John said, he's still scared from what happen

"Yeah. The red light surrounding her earlier was gone" Masako added, his eyes widened upon hearing what she just said.

"What happened to you? Why were you pushed away?" Naru directly asked him

"That was her PK" he plainly answered

"PK cannot be that strong without damaging yourself or going insane" Lin half-yelled, he's worried about her

"She's different" he glared at him and sighed "to think that she even put up a shield, we really upset her that much" he looked at them "What were you doing anyway when Rurik came?" he asked

They started to explain about playing Throw 'n Go Jenga. Sasha started to giggled, then chuckled, he can no longer control his self and laugh loudly.

"No wonder, she's so upset. We disrupted her concentration" He's still laughing

"Is she always like that?" Gene asked

"Yeah. Especially when she's in an important situation, that's why as early as now, I will warn you, when she's in deep thought or concentration – like performing spells or playing a game – you must not disturbed her. Or else, she will sent you flying or hung up on a tree for three days"

"Eh? She have done that?" Yasuhara asked, "Our sweet little Mai would do that?" he faked a cry.

"Yeah! Me and Sashura, experienced that already, when she's thinking about our case before, we teasingly scared her. And she took us into the forest and hung us on a tree for three days" he shivered when he remembered those days. The SPR widened their eyes, and they all worriedly looked at Naru.

"I won't do that to her" he just said to them _Okay, no teasing and scaring when she's in deep thought_, he reminded his self.

"Thank you for warning us!" they all said and bowed

He chuckled, and get off the bed "Come on. We want you to meet our irregular member all the way from Hong Kong" he went out from the room, and the others followed. They all gasped from the mess that she made, just because of the Jenga tower that collapsed!

"Really, really? Who?" she asked cheerfully

"Alex…" Xander – who's still at the door – called, she look at him "Look who's here with us!" He made a way for the newcomer.

A black haired guy, the same age as Rurik, and his right eye covered by his bangs, entered the office. She gasped from surprise and run towards the guy hug him tightly, "En! What are you doing here? I thought you're in Hong Kong?" She said, the guy hugged her too.

"I saw your interview, and I saw the news, and I heard about your joint case. I'm worried about you. And most of all, I miss you. But I didn't expect this mess." he chuckled softly and kissed her hair.

"I miss you more, idiot" she chuckled. "And it was because someone abruptly came in and our Jenga tower collapsed" she pouted, Rurik and the others laugh loudly.

_Okay, who's that another hot guy?_ The girls silently asked.

Lin hastily made his way to the door, his eyes widened from the person he saw "KOUEN?!" he almost yelled from surprise

His eyes widened "KOUJO?!" he has the same reaction as him

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" they asked the same time

"You're the last person I expect to see here, En" Lin said sharply.

"Oh, really? I should say the same thing to you… **brother**" he stated sharply too, emphasizing the last word

"B-BROTHER?!" the both teams exclaimed.

Kouen continued on glaring at his brother, and Lin did the same thing too, and tension is in the air!

* * *

**[A/N]**

The Jenga playing part, actually happened to me and my friends. Except the PK part... ^_^

It was reeeeaaaalllly~ upsetting, frustrating… urgh! Everything!

**Kouen Lin**, is he a friend? A foe? Or a rival?

Cliffhanger? Hahah! Soooorrry~

Actually, I already finished four chapters within just this week, it was chapters 10, 11, and 12. But since I'm so evil, I will update it next week…

Seee yah!~~


	10. Preparing for the Case

**Chapter 10 – Preparing for the case**

**[A/N]:**

**I'm so sorry, I failed to update yesterday. I coached three sports this whole week (for the school sports festival). Being a tri-athlete is not easy, plus a stubborn players. I'm dead tired!**

* * *

Everybody in the office notice the tension between brothers.

"Oh. My. God. Why didn't I notice it before. Kouen Lin, Koujo Lin. So he's your brother that you keep on telling me about?" Mai asked, trying to ease the atmosphere between the two, while her head still processing the information.

"Yeah, I let you saw a picture of him before, right?"

"Huh~ picture? What picture? When he's under the bed sheets and on top of someone – most especially naked?" she said sarcastically, she covered her mouth when she realized what she just said, and everybody looked at the blushing Lin, with his eyes widened.

He laugh at her "Yeah, yeah. That one" he said, still laughing.

"Ah! That's why you look so familiar, so you're En's brother!" the twins said facing Lin

"Noll, it's really Kouen." Gene whispered to his brother, Naru just rolled his eyes at him, he don't like him.

"Ah, Gene, Noll, Madoka. You're here too. What are you doing here anyway?" He asked

"We're here for the joint case." Naru answered, he don't really like En since the time they met, En always find a way to disapproved his theories thru his own experiments, that's why he considered him as his rival. He didn't write a book like him, but most of his research was the best, _and now he's close to Mai? I will not let him. She's mine, and mine alone,_ he angrily thought.

En raised his eyebrow, askance, so he looked at his brother, asking for confirmation

"It's true" Lin said. "They're the SPR" gesturing the other people in the room, and introduced them. "So, that's Masako" he commented, glaring at the young medium.

"En! Stop it or else…" Mai warned her, he just shut-up. He didn't want to know the continuation of her last word.

"Now, what are you doing here?" Lin asked with 'answer-me-honestly' tone

"When I heard that Boris and Sasha can't join this case, I decided to come to fill in their places, they are both true mediums and have an ESP, it's a huge breach on the team." he saw Lin's eyebrow raised up. "You already know that I casually help the IPR, right?" he continued

"I thought it's your working under Yulian, IPR – England branch"

"Nope, I'm working for Alex"

"So she's the girl that you've keep on telling me? Your first love?" He saw his brother blushed, _Payback,_ he thought, on the corner of his eyes, he saw Naru's clenched fist, he smirked at him.

"F-First Love?" the SPR team asked together.

"Now, why don't we go the room and talk? It's a total mess out here." Kir suggested immediately as he saw that they have a lot of questions for him. Upon entering the room; the SPR immediately bombarded him with questions.

"Where did you meet?" Ayako asked immediately

"How did you meet?" John asked too

"Did you courted her before?" Madoka is curious too

"Did you plan on courting her now? Gene also asked

"Did you already kissed her?" Yasuhara teasingly asked

"You must get my approval first" Bou-san sharply stated

He raised his hand in surrender "One by one okay?" he chuckled. "First, we met in China when she's eleven years old, to research about Chinese sorcery, together with Yulian because as you already know, they are white witch, right?" they all nodded, Naru was just listening "How we met…" he looked at her, and back to the people who are listening "I'm on the park and I found her reading a book, and when I noticed that she's not Chinese but a Japanese, I got angry and told her 'Go away! I hate Japanese! You only want to destroy our peaceful day right, do you know what the Japanese did to the Chinese before?' do you know what she did and say?" they shook their heads. He laugh remembering what happened, "She said 'I'm just reading a book here, you idiot! And then you suddenly show up out of nowhere, and telling me you hate me because I'm a Japanese?! Hate me for who I am, not for what I am, jerk! But fine, I will give you a valid reason to hate me.' And she beat the hell out of me, I ended up two days on the hospital. I was amused at her, and that's when I fall in love with her. Weird right?" he asked, their eyes widened and looked at Mai.

Lin chuckled "Mai, thanks for not beating me when I told you the same thing"

"I controlled myself that time Lin" she said smiling, and went outside the room, she didn't want to listened.

En continue on answering their questions "about courting, yes I courted her before that's one year after that incident and we're in Hong Kong already, but she said 'I already love someone else, his name is Ryuu. You know, you should meet him, I gotta feeling that the two of you will be good friends' and she was right, Ryuu become my close friend, he also knew about my feelings for her, and he didn't hate me for that.

They constantly went to Hong Kong, and sometimes I will occasionally visit them here, that's when I decided to work for her, even though Koujo insisted that I will work at the BSPR. I heard about their engagement, and also about **that** accident four years ago. And about courting her now," he shook his head "I know she love someone else, and I don't want to force her, because her happiness is all that matters to me – to us.

That's why when I watched her interview, and know that someone broke her heart, I really got angry." He clenched his fist, but calm down immediately "Did you know that Ryuu haven't kissed her on the lips despite of the fact that they're engaged before?" Naru looked at him, he's interested to know why. _Having a fiancé before, I thought she's no longer amateur when it comes to that, _he amusingly thought.

"Eh? Why?" Madoka asked

"Because she always said 'I want my first kiss to be at my wedding day' and with that, Ryuu respected her even more" he answered.

"Do you still love her?" Naru suddenly asked

"Yes. But I'm on the way of moving on." He heard him sighed, as if he's relief from his answer.

"Koujo…" he called his brother, Lin looked at him waiting, "I know she worked with you at the SPR when she's in Japan, do you know the guy who hurt her?" he asked his brother

"She didn't tell us his name, right?" he looked at the IPR members, they shook their heads.

"When we asked for his name, she will just smile sadly 'no need for you to know his name, because he's a private person. And I understand why he did that to me.' that's what she always say" Xander answered

"Now, do you him Koujo?" he demanded for an answer

He glanced at Naru, and then to his brother "No. Mai and I are not close like the two of you" Lin knows Naru will be in danger, he knows his brother well, he will really hurt the person who hurt someone he really love, be it his friends, or family.

He 'hmm-ed' "Fine. But don't forget brother, you're one of the people here, knows that I really despise guys who hurt girls, especially to the person I love." Lin shivered from the tone he used, he noticed that the SPR team shivered too.

Rurik cleared his throat to get their attention. "Okay, back to our case, who are the exorcists on the team?" Bou-san, Ayako, Gene, and John raised their hands, "four people huh, Vlad, are you satisfy with the numbers?"

He looked at them, and sighed "Yeah. I don't have any choice, since Boris can't join us"

"And who are your mediums?" Sasha asked, Masako and Gene raised their hands. "Hmm. So all in all there will be four mediums, the two of you, Kir and Alex. Fair enough, even without me or Boris"

"Eh? You're also medium?" Ayako asked

He nodded, "Boris and I are mediums, and have an ESP, we're the same as Alex and Gene, we're an astral plane walker too."

"Did someone here who knows how to use Qigong?" Kir asked next, and he noticed they all looking at Naru "You?" he asked, he just nodded as an answer. "If you will use your full power to that extent, what will happen to you?"

"He will become unconscious or worst, he will die" Gene answered, "Hey! Don't tell me you will make my brother do the Qigong?" he raised his voice.

Kir just smirked "who knows?"

Gene clenched his fist "I won't allow it, Mai won't allow it, she also know the consequence when Noll use his PK" he said furiously.

"Enough!" Sashura almost yelled, "Who are your researchers?" Sashura asked, then Madoka and Yasu raised their hands, "what about the others?"

"Research is not their forte" Naru answered him

"And who's your doctor?" Boris asked, Ayako raised her hand, he raised his eyebrow "Can I leave Alex and my team, in your hands?" he asked sharply

"W-what kind of question was that?" she asked with aghast

"If I can't entrust them to you, then I won't go to Germany, but rather I will join this case."

"What do you mean?" Naru asked him

"In this team, I'm not only an exorcist, or a medium, but also, I'm the team's doctor, since Yulian asked Sasha and me to assist him on a case in Germany, we won't be able to join this case, and I won't allow my team, especially Alex, to be with someone who don't trust their selves." He sharply explained "Now, can I entrust them to you?" he asked her again, the IPR team's waiting for her answer

"Yes." She said confidently

"To what extent will I be able to rely on you?" he asked again

"As far as my knowledge go" she said, Boris' keeps staring at her

"No need to worry Boris, Ayako is a reliable doctor." Mai said, leaning at the door.

"Are you sure Alex?" he asked worriedly, she just nodded.

He sighed and looked at Ayako, "Fine. I'll entrust them to you."

Mai entered the room and looked at Kir and then Naru, "I will do something on you later. It will make you use your PK to the full extent without the risk of dying." She said plainly, he stared at her

"What?" he asked doubtingly

"Do I need to repeat myself, Oliver?" he shook his head

"Good." She looked at the others "Pack your things now. Starting today, you will be staying at my house." She looked at her team "guys, that includes you too"

"Really Mai? We will be staying at your home?" Gene asked lively

She chuckled "Really, Gene" she faced his assistant, "Ru, can you drive them please?"

He patted her head, "Sure. But, what about you?"

"En and I will buy some food for lunch"

"Eh~ but I want to eat your homemade food." En whined childishly, she groaned "Fine. Then come with me" She get her credit card and her car keys from her drawer, "See you later." She waved them goodbye.

"We'll get going too, Ru…" the other team, walking towards the door

He nodded "Yeah. See you later" he looked at the SPR "So, we better get going too."

They exited the office, and going back to the hotel. When they are in their way to the lobby, Rurik noticed some reporters from the distance.

"Dammit!" he cursed, he looked at the others "Go now! There are reporters coming. If they saw you with me, they will approach you too, and we don't want you get involved in this chaos." He authoritatively said, without question they obey. "I will be waiting, at the parking lot" he follow up. He's about to turned away when the reporters already approaching him, _My only choice is to face them_, he said to his self, he faced them and smiled, trying to answer the questions that they're asking, _Alex… When did I become your spokesperson in showbiz?_ He mentally chuckled on his own thought. When he successfully outwit the reporters, he immediately went to the parking lot, he saw the SPR who are already waiting. And they're on their way to Mai's house.


	11. Lifetime Buffer to Your Power

**Chapter 11 – Lifetime Buffer to Your Power**

* * *

Rurik together with the SPR team are on their way to Mai's house. While on the car, there's an awkward silence, as if that they're afraid to talk, and he didn't failed to notice the situation, he sighed _they're still not comfortable to be with us_, he thought.

"Oliver" he called, he want to ease the awkwardness, the young scientist looked at him "What is it?" he asked.

"Whatever Alex will do to you later, just obey her, and most importantly, trust her. It's for your own sake." He said

"Is it about on using his PK to the full extent without the risk of dying?" Lin asked

"Yeah." He plainly said

"How will she do it?" Naru asked curiously

He sighed "You will eventually know, so I don't need to explain it. Just remember, trust whatever she will do" he heard him agreed.

"Ne, what are the other abilities of your team?" Madoka asked.

"Hmm? Specifically who's abilities you want to know?" he asked back

"The twins!" she exclaimed

"Sasha as you already know, he's a true medium, PK-MT user, astral plane walker, and a researcher."

"And the other twin?" Ayako curiously asked

"On the other hand, Sashura is our head-researcher, he's can also do psychometry, just like you Oliver – and he also became Alex's experimental subject – and a PK-ST user"

"Amazing!" The girls exclaimed

"What about you?" Gene asked too

"Me? I'm the same as Lin, an onmyouji. Also a researcher, telepathic, and PK user"

"Heh, also a researcher huh?" Yasuhara commented teasingly

He chuckled "Yeah. If we have a common ability, that would be researching, and data gathering – that our forte – that's the basic thing in hunting, and Alex also told us that we should learn the basic way of researching, like asking the people and going to libraries"

"Eh? She's good in gathering data too?" John surprisingly asked

He frowned "You didn't know? Even without using ESP, she's good at researching and tracing history. She will try gathering as much as possible information **before **the case, rather than **during** the case." he notice that they went silent, he looked at the rear mirror and saw that they're looking at each other "Hey, when you're on a cases before, what are the things she usually did?"

"SLEEPING, AND MAKING TEA!" they all said, he just chuckled.

"So, what about the others? What are their psychic abilities?" Bou-san asked

"You already know Vlad, right?" they nodded "He's an exorcist, researcher, and a demon hunter. He's also a tri caster"

"Demon hunter… He can open a portal to the demon world?" Lin asked to confirm, and he just nodded

"What's a tri caster?" Gene curiously asked

"It means he can cast three different spells at the same time, it's obvious at the name, idiot" It was Naru who answered, his brother just rolled his eyes.

He continued "Kir, is also a researcher, spiritual healer, PK user, and a true medium; as for Boris, he's an astral plane walker, medium, exorcist, also a researcher"

"And lastly, Alexander is our computer and data analyst, researcher, and a summoner. Instead of shikis, he has an ekikis, demons who are working for him."

"Amazing!" they were totally amazed from the information.

"What about Jou-chan?" Bou-san asked

Ayako thwack him three times, "Didn't she already told us earlier?"

"But I didn't quite get it." He whined

"It's because you're stupid" Ayako barked

He chuckled "Alright, as what Alex said earlier about her abilities, you already know about her having an ESP, and being an astral plane walker, right?" when they saw them nodded, he continue, "she's also a researcher, telepathic, true medium, and as you all know a white witch. Her abilities as a perfect onmyouji are still sealed in her."

"Why?" Masako asked

_Didn't she listen earlier?_ He irritably thought, he sighed "Because she's not yet awaken. She haven't perform the awakening ceremony… yet"

"If she will be awaken, what will happen to her?" Naru can't help, but asked, _if it will put her into more danger, it's much better if she will not awaken that ability, she's already fine the way she is now, even before_ he thought worriedly.

"Hmm? Nothing much, she will be able to perform complicated spells, and seals, something like that" he said, their already five blocks away.

"What about her brother?" John asked too

"Yulian can already perform complicated spells, actually he's a quad caster. Boys don't need to be awaken, unlike girls"

"What about Mai, is she a quad caster or something like that too?" Even Madoka was curious

"Nope. She's a bi caster, two spells at the same time. She wanted to learn it slowly, because it took a great amount of magic."

Lin looked at him at the rearview mirror and asked "What type of magic and spells is her forte?"

"Witchcrafts and also, ancient spells. But, she know some ancient Chinese magic and spells" he directly said.

"Jou-chan's scary" Bou-san jokingly cried

"I'm sorry from how the team treated you earlier when you came, Masako, and Oliver. They just easily got carried away when it comes to Alex" he suddenly said softly

"It's fine. I know, I deserved it." Masako said softly, covering her mouth with her _kimono_

He sighed "You know what? I really want you get comfortable with them, we're working together, right? It will be bad if we will build walls on each team, they're fun to be with, especially the twins." He said hopefully

A moment later, a translucent image of Mai was seen in the windshield, "Where the hell are you?" she asked impatiently, they all gasped.

"Mai?" Gene called, as if confirming if it is really her

"Yes?"

"Jou-chan, what happen to you?" Bou-san was worried

"Eh? This? I astral project myself. Because I can't contact **someone** and I'm worried about you" glaring at her assistant.

Rurik chuckled and checked his phone – it was off – he wiggled his phone letting her to see it "Sorry, my phone's dead. We're near, are the others already came?"

"Yeah. They're said they're starving to death especially En. You said you're near right? Okay, see you!" with that her image disappeared. Rurik can already see the roof top, of the house.

On Mai's house, the others can't behave their selves, they are all hungry.

"Gah! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna… die" Sasha acted as if he's gonna die.

"Then that's good, I will be eating your share." His twin said heartlessly, he just glare at him.

"Honestly, what took them so long?" En whined.

"If Rurik don't have a valid reason, I'll make him my appetizer." Vlad said

"I seconded!" Kir and Xander said together as they raised their hand.

When they heard an engine being turned-off, they suddenly open the door, and it was Bou-san that they first seen, Vlad clenched the collar of her shirt, and glared at him,

"W-what?" he nervously asked

"I'm so hungry waiting on guys, so come on already!" he said sharply, he grabbed him in the house

Rurik chuckled "My, my. Sorry, for that. They really lose their patience when it comes to Alex's cooking. Come on, before the others will make us their appetizer" they entered the house, it's has two floors, and on the living room there's a grand piano.

"Wow! Who's playing the piano?" Gene asked

"Idiot, obviously it's Mai" Naru answered

Rurik nodded "That's where she usually composed some of her songs"

"C'mon guys! We're starving to death, waiting for you." En called them.

"We will put our luggage first –"

"LATER!" The IPR members squawked together. A smell from new baked lasagna filled the air, it made their stomach growl – including Naru and Lin.

"Wah! I'm hungry. Jou-chan, we're coming!" Bou-san ran towards the dining room, followed by the others. Gene telepathically talked to his brother.

**Noll**

**What?**

**It's the first time I heard your stomach growl**

**Shut up.**

**You want to eat it all by yourself, right?**

**I'm not a glutton like you. **He glared at his brother, and saw him grinning at him, and decided to cut the connection.

_It's the first I will be able to eat Mai's homemade food, I can't believe my stomach will be affected by just the smell, how much more the taste, _he thought.

When they're at the dining they were awed from what they see, Mai was setting the table, and lots of foods are prepared, both English and Japanese foods.

"Mai-_chan_, did you cooked all of this?" John asked without leaving his eyes from the table

"Yeah."

"Rurik, why are you late? Depending on your answer, we will allow you to eat with us" Kir threateningly asked

"Reporters" was all he said and sit beside him, the others also follow.

"Alex/Mai let's share a plate!" En and Gene said together, and they looked, no scratched that, they're glaring each other.

She sighed, "No thanks." She started to get some food on her plate. The girls widened their eyes from the amount of food she's putting.

"Mai, you're a model right? Aren't you supposedly be worrying about your figure?" Masako asked from concern

She chuckled "Huh? When it comes to food, worrying is not in my mind"

"The word 'diet' was not on Alex's vocabulary" Kir said, "on Sasha and Rurik's vocabulary too" he looked at the two, who also have an abnormal amount of food on their plate, the others stared at three with an amazement. _Are they really a model?_ They all thought

"Jou-chan! It's delicious!" Bou-san exclaimed

"Yeah, It is" John seconded

She blushed "Thanks."

"I thought you are only good at making tea" that was all Naru's comment, she rolled her eyes on him

"Mai, don't you have maids?" Madoka curiously asked

"I do have three"

"Only three?" Yasu asked doubtingly, she nodded

"Where are they? Why they didn't help you preparing the foods?" Ayako seconded

"They're preparing the guest rooms, and besides, when it comes to foods, I really want to do it personally"

They went silent when they noticed that the temperature slightly dropped and Lin's shikis were anxious.

_What's wrong?_ Lin mentally asked

_We can sense some shikis _they answered

"Did anybody feel what I feel?" Bou-san asked

"Yeah, it's getting colder." Ayako shivered a bit

Mai sighed, and look at her left side, she saw her brother's shikis "They're the guests that I'm talking about, okay? They're not harmful, and one of them also owned a shikis" she explained. And the temperature went back to normal.

Bou-san looked at her "What was that all about jou-chan?"

"Ah, that was my brother's shikis didn't know you yet, that's why they thought you're 'foreign creatures'" he just nodded in understanding.

During lunch the IPR become more open with the SPR team, they talk about their other work, aside from ghost hunting. Mai smiled at the sight, _at least there's no more awkwardness between them, _she thought, she looked at Naru and saw that he's looking at her too, she looked away and blushed. _Now, that was awkward, _she mentally slapped herself.

After they have their lunch, they are all in the living room, some are playing, but most of them are watching news. They called Mai, who is reading the files, to watched the news, it's Rurik being interviewed earlier.

"Rurik, are Xandra and Marcus really dating?" The reporter asked

He sighed and answered "As far as I know, they're not. We already told you that, she's still broken hearted."

"Maybe she keep it from you? About her and Marcus" The reporter asked suspiciously

"We know Xandra very well. We know the Xandra who's in love, we know the Xandra who's dating someone, we know the Xandra who's heart broken. Even if she won't tell us, we will still know it from her gestures towards us, thank you." He sharply stated and he went into the hotel.

She was speechless from Rurik's answer, she went towards him and hugged him, "Thank you for being my spokesperson" she said lively

He chuckled "you're always welcome."

"Alex, aren't you gonna do something on him?" Kir said as he pointed on Naru.

"Ah! Yeah. I almost forgot, thanks for reminding me" she looked at him, he just raised his eyebrow, "Oliver, come to my room and remove your shirt." She said, the SPR team blushed from her statement.

"O-oi jou-chan, aren't you getting bolder?" Bou-san said shyly

She groaned, "I'm not. It's needed because I'll write something on his chest"

"Do it here, Alex" Kir stated

"Are you sure?" they nodded "Then remove the carpet" they obeyed her. An incomplete magic circle was revealed beneath the carpet.

Lin raised his eyebrow "That's a sealing magic… right?" he wasn't sure, that was the first time he saw the symbols.

"Yeah. Sealing magic that was often used by the witches to seal their powers." She's preparing some candles, and looking for the write chalk to use, and write some letters and figures on the circle

"You're gonna seal Naru's power?" Masako asked

"Nope. I'll do some variation" she's still writing

"But –" her protest cut off

"I can't explain it now." She irritatingly said, and the house starting to shake.

She heard Xander hushed her "Keep quiet, if she's preparing for a spell, she really hates to be questioned" he whispered.

"Didn't I told you? Don't disturbed her when she's concentrating?" Sasha reminded her, she just looked down and went the other SPR team

"Gene" she called

"Yes, Mai?"

"I need your assistance in here" he wanted to ask why, but he keep it from his self.

"Want do you want to me to do?" he asked, she handed him the red chalk "Hold it, and draw three of that" she pointed a figure, he frown, it's a complicated figure, _and I don't even know how to draw!_ he mentally yelled.

"Don't worry, I will guide your hand. Just hold that chalk okay?" she smile, assuring him. He just nodded. Mai put her hand above his' and start to draw the figures, she murmured a spell and made him dizzy, they continue to write some letters.

"I haven't seen a spell that have been done by two person" Lin stated

"Now, you've seen one" the twins said, and they continue watching the two.

"Thanks Gene" she said, and remove her hand, he's didn't feel the dizziness anymore since Mai remove her hand.

"You're welcome, Mai" he stood up, and went to where he was before.

She double check the letters and figures that she wrote and drawn, when it's okay, she lit up the four candles, "Come on Oliver" he went towards her "Lay your back down on the circle" he obeyed him without any arguments, _Whatever Alex will do to you later, just obey her, and most importantly, trust her. It's for your own sake, _he remembered what Rurik said to him earlier.

"It will hurt you, but no matter how much pain you will feel, I want you to endure it until the end. Understand?" she said worriedly

He looked at her eyes "Yeah. It will not affect my handsome face, right?" he teased

She rolled her eyes "Don't worry, it will not make your ugly face uglier." She heard him chuckled, and also from the people who's watching them.

She breathed deeply, and start chanting prayers and spells, Naru felt his body's burning, and he gasped from the pain in his chest. He failed to maintain his stoic feature as he winced and groaned, the circle started to glow, and the pain his chest getting sharper and sharper.

"I see, so that's why he will feel some pain, that's what's she's trying to do." Kir said as he crossed his hand on his chest.

"What do you mean?" Lin asked curiously

He didn't answered him, instead, he looked at Gene and asked "are you his buffer?" he nodded, "When you are not together, he can't recklessly use his PK?" he nodded again.

"So this is what she's talking about" Vlad said

"Hey, tell us what you are talking about. We don't understand any of it." Yasuhara whined

"Alex, set a buffer inside his body, thru a spell" En explained briefly to them

"WHAT?!" they almost yell

"Is that even possible? If there's a spell about that, I should've perform it to him before" Lin said with incredulity

"How would you know? It's from ancient Wiccan spell" Sashura raised his eyebrow at him

"How did she do it? Gene is his only buffer" Madoka asked worriedly

Rurik sighed and answered "That's why she asked Gene to assist her earlier."

"And, what about it?" Lin asked again

Boris looked at Gene "Earlier when Alex touched your hand, and made you draw the figures, did you feel something strange in your body?" he asked

Gene thought for a while "Now that you mention, I felt dizzy, when I heard her murmuring something" he stated

Rurik put his index finger on his chin "I see, so she took some part of your power and put it on the spell. She will make a lifetime buffer to his astounding PK power. After this day, he can now use Qigong without any worries about him dying." He explained

Lin widened his eyes "She can do that?"

"You just saw that she did" the twins sarcastically said together. _It's like there are two Naru_, Lin thought.

They looked at the two when they heard Naru whimpered from pain, the letters and figures float on the air, and starting to attach on his left chest, and the pain he feel become more and more intense.

"Arrgh!" Naru shouted from pain, he felt his tear flow from his eyes

"Bear with it! It's almost done!" Rurik shouted back at him.

"Noll…" Gene called worriedly.

The glowing stopped and Mai faced them, "Half way done" she said breathlessly

Gene and Lin went to help Naru, and gasped when they saw a red half-circle drawn on his left chest, "It's not yet complete, rest for an hour. I will need your maximum energy to complete that circle" she explained, and stood up. "Gah! I'm so hungry, it took the energy on my stomach!" she went impatiently on the kitchen and eat some food.

"Noll, how do you feel?" Gene asked worriedly

"I feel like burning, and my chest really hurts, it's like being stabbed with one-hundred knives" he described, he tried to sit down but Rurik stopped him, "You should lay down and rest" he commanded, he have no choice but to obey without complain.

**After an hour…**

She saw Naru already up, she went towards him "Come, we will going to the forest." She said.

"What are you going to do at the forest?" Lin asked

"Can we come and watch?" Ayako also asked

"Sure. You can all come with us" she agreed

Both teams are on the van, they're on their way to a secluded huge forest. But when they started to walk, they notice some cracks on the land, on the huge rocks, and on the trees.

"What happen here?" Ayako asked softly

"This is where Alex usually perform her experiment on PK" the twins said

"Mai can also use Qigong?" Lin asked abruptly

"You didn't know?" Kir asked back, and they shook their heads

They stopped when Mai and Naru stopped on a front of a huge solid rock.

"Oliver, I want you to smash that thing into pieces, the same way you used when you smashed down that small altar when we are at the cursed house case before, okay?" she smiled at him.

"EH?!" they all whined

"Remember, use your maximum power. Don't worry about anything, just do what I told you to do" she added

He sighed "Fine." He position his self but Mai called him again.

"Before I forget, remove your shirt and wait for my signal to say go" she explained.

"Got it!" he tossed his coat and shirt to his brother, he's on his position again, he put his hand on the air, and he gathered all of his energy and PK on his hand, _strange, it didn't hurt_, he thought, he imagine his PK as a sword. The people who are watching, notice that when he gathered his energy the mark on chest starting to move slowly, completing the circle, on the other hand, the IPR saw Mai winced a little, they went to her and supporting her.

"Go!" she shouted.

Upon hearing her voice he slashed his full-powered PK onto the rock, and breaks into pieces, and he feel the pain on his chest again, but it stopped after a few minutes, and he feels fine, in fact totally fine!

"Naru!" the SPR team called with concern

"Are you okay? How do you feel?" Gene asked immediately

"Yeah. I totally feel fine. I don't know how Mai did it."

The mark on his chest glowed for a while, and then stopped, the buffer seal is now complete.

"They said, using Gene's ability to buffer your power, Mai set a lifetime buffer to your power, inside your body, thru spell. Something like that" Yasu explained hastily.

"Where's jou-chan?" Bou-san asked and his question was answered with a screamed from a distance.

"ALEX!" they heard Vlad's screamed, they all gasped when they saw an unconscious Mai, carried by her assistant followed by a very worried Vlad.

"What happen to her?!" Gene asked worriedly

"She's unconscious." Kir said plainly, he walked out from the other team following Rurik and Vlad, the SPR noticed how he clenched his fist.

"Why did she chose this method?" Sasha whispered to his brother

"Because he will be in great pain if she finished it with a spell" Sashura whispered back

"Tsk! She's being reckless" Boris stated angrily, and Naru heard what he just said.

"Tell me what happen to Mai, why is she unconscious?" he demanded for an answer, but they just looked at him, no plan of telling him anything.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" En said irritably, but his brother grabbed his arm and stopped him

"We want to know what happen to Mai, and I know you know it, En. Tell us." Lin was seething

"It's none of your business." He brush off his brother's grip. He started to walk out from the forest, and the others followed him.

"Of course it is our business!" Naru and Gene both yelled at him

"Fine! The damage, she took the damage from you, into her! Now, are you satisfied?!" he yelled back

Their eyes widened for a moment, Boris and the twins sighed. "What do you mean she took the damage from Naru?" Bou-san asked worriedly

When no one tried to answer, Boris answered it for them "In order to complete the spell, he must first feel the same pain when using Qigong – for the last time feeling it – but only the pain, not the dying part"

"But instead, Alex took it away from you. She don't want you to feel **that kind** of pain again, that's what she told us earlier" Sashura continued, the others are still dumbfounded from what they come to know – especially Naru!

"Did you noticed why you have to wait for Alex's signal to strike?" En asked angrily, they didn't answer "It's because she's preparing the spell to remove the damage from you, and she braced herself from the pain" he continued

"Why did she do that?" Masako asked, she's worried about her, to think that she would go this far just for Naru, _if it was me, will I do the same thing too? _she asked herself, she thought for awhile, _Probably not. I love myself too much, to get hurt to that extent for someone else's sake,_ she thought.

"Isn't there any another method?" John asked too, Masako – who's beside him – nodded in agreement.

"There is. But, Oliver will be in a great, great, great, great, pain, and she didn't want him to feel that." Sasha said

"So, she chose this method instead." Sashura added.

_Idiot! Why are you so reckless! Why are you so altruistic! _ Naru thought angrily and sadly. "She will be okay, right?" he asked for an assurance.

The twins looked at each other, "Maybe? But I know she will be okay, it was Alex that we're talking about." Sahura smiled at them.

"You work with her before right? You should know how stubborn that girl is" Boris softly chuckled

They smiled as they remember the time when she's with them "Yeah, you're right." They agreed softly

When they reached the van, they all hopped in. Mai's still unconscious, and she's in Kir's arm now, _she should be in my arms, not his'_, Naru thought.

"Is Mai-_chan _gonna be okay?" John asked worriedly

"Yeah. Don't worry. Her shikis are doing their job." Vlad assure him with a smile

"We should hurry to go to the hospital" Ayako suggested immediately

"That's not necessary, we already have a reliable doctor onboard" he looked at Boris, who just smirked. They all looked at the young brunette when they heard a groan coming from her.

"Arrgh! Dammit! I can't believe it would still hurt like this, even if it was sealed half-way." She whined.

"MAI!" she looked at them, and smile, "Sorry for making you worry, guys"

"Idiot, we're beyond worried" Bou-san stated angrily

"Oliver, are you okay?" she asked, and he just glared at her.

"Yeah. Why did you do such reckless thing Mai?" he's worried, totally worried

"Because, as you said, I'm reckless." She teasingly smile at him, and he heard him groaned from defeat, "is the mark on your chest now, a full a circle?" she sobered

"Yeah." He said "and thank you" he added softly, Mai faced him immediately, and the SPR team staring at him, he raised his eyebrow "what?" he asked

"Did you just say 'thank you'?" Mai asked him surprisingly

He raised his eyebrow "Didn't you hear it?" she also raised his eyebrow

"That's Naru for you, answering your question with a question" Yasu stated

Gene grinned at her, "Mai, I won. You owe me 2000 euro" he happily stated.

She groaned "Fine. Later when we got home." Naru questioningly looked at his brother

"You're betting?" Vlad asked

"Yeah." She answered plainly

"On what?" Madoka asked too

"If Oliver will say 'thank you' or not. I bet on he won't" she chuckled, "to think that I will lose. I'm so confident that he won't say 'thank you'" she uttered. Naru, on the other hand, don't know what to feel – to be amused or insulted – he just smirked at her.

"I want you take a rest when we got home, okay? I know you're tired, you had a concert two nights ago, and earlier at the office, you went out of control, and today, you used quite amount of magic." Kir said softly at her, as he brushed the hair on her forehead, and kissed it, he still cradle her in his arm. She nodded as she close her eyes.

The rest of ride was silent, the air in the car becomes suffocating, as they sensed someone's jealousy, murderous glares at the guy sitting on the passenger's seat, and constant gnashing and clenching his fist.

_Take that Naru, that's the price from hurting her before,_ the SPR team thought, while they're delighting seeing their young boss' jealousy!


	12. Challenge Accepted! : En vs Naru

**Chapter 12 – Challenge Accepted and The truth behind the case**

* * *

When they arrived at the house, Mai was carried by Kir into her room, he didn't failed to noticed Naru's murderous glare at him but instead of getting scared, he teased him by smirking at him and holding Mai tighter, and he almost laugh when he saw him clenched his fist, _stupid guy! There's no need to get jealous, well, teasing him will be fun! _Kir thought. The maids guide the SPR team into their assigned rooms, so they can rest, especially Naru.

When she slowly put her down on her bed, she woke up slightly, "You need to rest more, Alex" he said while sitting beside her, she faced him with a serious expression on her "Can you please tell Ru to come here for a moment?" she requested, Kir stood up and walk out from the room after kissing her on the forehead.

Mai hold tightly her former engagement ring, which she made into a pendent on her necklace, and tears flowing from her eyes. She's on that position when her assistant knocked and come in. Rurik went directly beside her when he saw her crying, and when he saw what she's holding, he understood.

"Ru…" she called, she didn't wait for his reply "I want you to tell them the information that we have about this case" she said seriously.

Rurik sighed "Are you sure?" he saw her nodded, and heard her sob. He went onto her and hugged her tightly, "We really don't want you to come with us in this case, you know."

She sniffed "I must go. I moved on Ru, I already accepted the fact that he's gone forever, but I got so angry at myself every time I remembered how weak I am at that time." She uttered, "When I'm still in Japan, and we're on a cases, Naru was always there to protect me. And I remembered Ryuu, from the way he protected me" she hugged him tightly and cried again "That's why I'm scared… I'm so scared… Not because I will go back in that house, but of losing another person that I love… again."

"So… he's the **that** guy huh? The guy who broke your heart." Rurik teased.

"Yeah." She said blushing

"Tell me exactly what he did to you before" he demanded. She sighed, and she told him about her confession, "You know the funny part is, I already **knew** that he will reject me, but didn't expect him to reject me that way." She said after telling him the story.

Rurik raised his eyebrow from what she said, "What do you mean you already **knew **that he will reject you?"

"The night before my confession, I dreamed about it, where I saw myself crying and seeing him walked away from me, but I didn't hear what he said. And then, a woman's voice told me 'that will happen if you will told him your feelings, will you still confess?'" she explained.

"And why did you still confess even if you knew what will he do?" he asked surprisingly

"It's better to get hurt by doing it and letting him know, than regretting at the end without telling him what I really feel towards him." She said softly

"Yeah. You're right, but that guy's a big idiot." He commented, she chuckled at him and nodded.

Rurik made her to look at him "Don't worry Alex, no one will die this time. They're strong right? I remember the way you bragged about their powers." He assured, she nodded, and Rurik kissed her cheek, "Then no need to worry. Come on, you need to rest. We still have a photo shoot tomorrow." He lay her down again, and let her sleep, he smiled when he heard her saying thank you while smiling at him, and closing her eyes.

* * *

When Rurik went downstairs he saw their other team members mingled with the SPR, Vlad and Kir are teasing, talking, and joked, with Yasu, Bou-san, and John; the twins are arguing over the food that they want to order with Gene and Madoka; Xander is talking with Masako; Boris is giving Ayako a further instructions as the teams doctor; En and his brother are talking seriously – in fact, very seriously, he saw how En furrowed his eyebrow whenever his brother will say something; and funny, the boss on each team are both sleeping. Rurik smiled slightly from what he saw, _at least there's an improvement in their relationships, _he thought.

"Ru… What did Alex told you?" Kir asked, when he saw him coming down, all of them are looking at him, waiting for his answer.

"I will tell you later when Oliver is ready." He said, as he went to the kitchen

"Hey! What are you doing?" En asked from the living room, when they heard some crashing sound from the kitchen

"Don't tell me you're cooking?" Vlad asked with a horrified voice

He went out from the kitchen "Alex is resting, and it's rude to wake her up just to make food for us" he explained. Their eyes widened saying 'we-better-fast-than-to-eat-something-whatever-you-will-make'

The twins immediately stood up and went to where the phone is, and dialed the number of their favorite restaurant, and order random foods.

"Don't exhaust yourself Ru… I know you are tired, **very** tired… right?" Boris went to him lead him to the couch, to sit down with them

Xander smiled nervously at him, "Yeah, we will just order from the outside, okay?"

Rurik protested "But what about the guests? It is impolite to let them eat something that's not homemade."

"No, no. They will understand, in fact we were talking about it earlier, right guys?" Kir looked at the other team, widening his eyes telling them 'say-yes-or-I-will-let-you-sleep-outside'

"Y-yeah" they all stuttered

He just sighed "I don't know if I would be grateful from your concern, or to be affronted knowing that really scorned my cooking"

"We will not scorn it Ru, if it tasted edible enough for a human being to eat it." En said tactlessly. They all laugh as he threw a throw pillow at him, he just laugh as he caught it.

"In thirty minutes!" the twins both said.

"What are gonna do while waiting?" Gene asked at them

"Let us prepare the table" Madoka said, as she grabbed Ayako and Masako

"Fine." Rurik agreed with the idea.

When the girls went to the kitchen, all guys remained at the living room. They stopped from whatever they are doing when they say Naru coming down to them, he wears black t-shirt with a black below-the-knee six-pocket shorts, revealing his fair and hairy legs, he sit beside Gene, covering his mouth as he stifled a yawned.

"How are you?" Rurik asked

He looked at him "Fine." He bluntly answered

"Does it still hurts?" Vlad asked with concern too, referring to the seal.

He shook his head "No." he looked around "Where are the girls?" he asked when he noticed none of the girls are present.

"Is that what you really want to ask Big Boss?" Yasu teasingly asked, he just raised his eyebrow on his remark.

"Didn't you really want to ask is 'where is Mai?'" Boris smirked at him, he looked away to hide his slight blush, the others just chuckled.

"Alex is resting, the others are setting the table for dinner." The twins said together, as if on a cue, the doorbell rang, the maid tried to open the door but Sasha stopped her, saying that his brother will do it.

"Hey, why me?" he snapped

"Because you will lose to me in rock-paper-scissors game" Sasha confidently stated

"No, let's play another game, like rolling this die" he said as he get the die from his pocket, _Idiot! You will more likely loose,_ the others thought, even Naru smirked at the idiocy of the person in front of him.

"Okay, sounds easy." Sasha agreed, _idiot. Did you forget that rolling a die is my forte?_ He thought while looking at his twin. Sashura rolled the die between them.

"Odd" Sashura bet first

His brother just smirked confidently "Even" he said. And the die stopped with a six-dotted points facing above, Sashura groaned from frustration and defeat, he stood up to open the door, while the others looked at him with a pitiful eyes.

"How did you correctly guess that?" Gene asked innocently

Naru sighed "He obviously used his PK, idiot. Haven't you noticed how the die rolled?" he asked his brother, Gene just shook his head. "You're hopeless" he said, Gene throw him a pillow, but he avoided it and it was going to hit to the person beside him, but Rurik was fast he used his PK to make it stopped mid-air, and throw it back to Gene.

"Amazing, as expected from Oliver Davis, your observation skill is preeminent." Sasha said clapping his hand, "Too bad that idiot brother of mine didn't notice it, no matter how many times we played." Sasha said as he saw his brother going to the kitchen, making him heard it on purpose, "I heard that!" his brother exclaimed.

Naru smirked "Don't worry, we both have an idiot brother, who are beyond hopeless."

"Hey!" both Gene and Sashura exclaimed at their brothers, but the two just smirked at them.

"By the way, aren't we gonna wake up Mai-_chan_?" John suddenly said.

"No need. She will just eat a lot tomorrow, as for now, she needed a lot of rest" Kir answered the young priest

"Why? Didn't she rested long enough? We should wake her up to have at least eat dinner" Bou-san suggested

Sasha who's sitting at the carpet, faced him "She still have a photo shoot tomorrow. She needs her beauty rest."

"Aren't you gonna be the assigned photographer?" En asked him.

"Nope, he will be one of Alex's partner for tomorrow's photo shoot" Sashura answered him, "Dinner's ready. Come on."

"One of Alex's partner? So, who's the other one?" Yasu curiously asked as they walked to the dining room

"Right in front of you" Sasha said, who's referring to Rurik, he just smirked, Yasu just nodded from understanding.

When they already sat down, Rurik called their attention, "after dinner, I want all of you to be at the living room. I, rather, we, will discuss the truth behind the case that we will be working on four days from now" he said in his serious and authoritative voice

"Ru, are you sure?" En asked worriedly

"Yeah, that's what Alex told me, earlier" he looked at them "will it be okay, Oliver?" he asked the young scientist

"Of course, that would be better." Naru said agreeably.

"Ne, I heard you three have a photo shoot tomorrow, can we come with you and watch?" Madoka asked excitedly

Sasha looked at her and agreed "Sure. Why not. We might need your help girls."

The three girls raised their eyebrow "On what?" Ayako asked curiously

"On Alex. You might persuade her into wearing a make up." Rurik explained

Masako raised her eyebrow "She didn't wear make up on her photo shoot?" she asked, she doubted it, _how can someone have that kind of beautiful face on the billboards without even putting a make up?_ She thought

The IPR members shook their heads, "she don't like it, 'natural beauty is the best' that's what she always said to her supposedly makeup artist" Kir said.

The girls were dumbfounded, they looked at the guys "What about the others? You wanna come and watch too?" Madoka asked, as he looked at Lin.

"I'll go!" Gene agreed immediately

"Me too." John also want to come

"I seconded!" Even Bou-san

"Hmm. There might be a lot of hot guys, so I'll go" Yasu cheered

"I will monitor Madoka from flirting, so I'll go with you." and now even Lin, Madoka just grinned wickedly at him

They are now looking at Naru waiting for his decision, he sighed "Since all of you will go, then I will too. As your boss you are my responsibility." He said directly. And they all cheered!

"And what about you guys?" Ayako asked the other team

"I can go with you. At least I can tour you a little" En said, and he looked at the others, "what about you? Don't you have any important appointments tomorrow too?" he confirmed

Kir nodded and sighed "I'll have a shooting for my latest movie"

"And I will be the one directing that movie" Sashura added and looked at Rurik "Ru, you're in this movie too right? After your photo shoot, go immediately at the location" he reminded him, he looked at him nodded giving him an 'okay, got it.' gesture.

"There are three patients scheduled for an operation tomorrow, before Sasha and I will go to Germany" Boris also said.

"I'll pass my articles on the company" Vlad stated bluntly, "what about you Xander?" he asked

"Me?" pointing his self "I'll have a board meeting tomorrow" he uttered.

"Wow! You all have another tough work aside from this huh." Yasu exclaimed

"Why does it seems that you all have an important appointment tomorrow?" John asked softly

"It's because we will go on a case, so before we left, we want our schedule to be fixed." Kir explained.

They understand, more or less, and they have some of their 'get-to-know-better' conversations throughout dinner. After that chatty dinner, they all huddled at the living room, "Oliver, you're that guy that Alex's meant in her interview right?" Rurik started the conversation.

Naru's widened his eyes for a moment, "I don't why it is relevant about the case" he stated coldly

The IPR members looked at him, and then at Naru, Boris sighed "So, it's really him?" he asked Rurik, who just nodded.

The twins and En gasped, "Hey, how did you know that he's the 'Englishman but a Japanese descendant' guy that Alex's talked about?" Sashura asked perplexedly

"Instinct." Boris and Xander said together, the twins just frown, En was gnashing, while giving Naru a vicious glare.

"So he's the one who hurt Alex?" Sasha said incredulously.

En can't take it anymore, he stood up angrily and launch a punch on Naru's face, the girls screamed and covered their eyes, Lin stood up too, to stopped his brother, Naru being caught off guard, widened his eyes, but a hand grabbed En's shoulder and a hand on his fist, which is centimeters away from Naru's face, when he looked at the hand's owner, it was Rurik's, and Kir's hand on his shoulder, he looked angrily at them,

"Why did you stopped me?!" he asked them angrily.

"En, calmed down!" Lin barked, he knew that En's a good fighter, he knew how strong his bare fist is.

"Calmed down? It includes you too Koujo, I thought you didn't know the guy who hurt her!" he looked at him murderously.

"En, violence won't do any good. Your brother was right, calmed down." Vlad said calmly.

He pointed at Naru "That idiot and stupid guy hurt and break Alex's heart, how do you expect me to calm down, when the guy who hurt the girl I love, was right in front of my eyes. You guys all know how much I love her!" he yelled at them, all the people in the living room flinched, even Lin, it's the first time he saw his brother that angry.

"We know, and you also know how much we love and care –" Kir's words were cut off by him

"Yeah?" he asked sarcastically, "if you really care for her, how can you be so damn calm when you know that someone in this crowd hurt the person that you care?"

Vlad snapped "do you really think we didn't care? You didn't know when he saw him at the office, we really want to skinned him alive, using a grater while his brother is watching." Naru widened his eyes upon hearing this, _I rather die quickly, _he thought.

"But En, you know Alex, she don't want that. If you will hurt him, will she be okay? Will she moved on? No. it will hurt her more." Boris also told him

Xander approached him "We're really angry too you know, but we have more control on our emotions. We want you to do the same too En, or think of another way on how you will squeeze out that anger that was built inside you, look at those idiots" pointing at the twins, who are exchanging blows with each other, but dodging it in the same time.

"How dare you!" Sasha shouted while trying to launched an attack at his brother

"How dare you too!" Sashura shouted too while he defend his self, they continued their sparring, ignoring the people watching them.

The others were… amazed? The SPR tried to control their laughter, but it's no use, they burst out laughing, even Lin chuckled at the two.

Vlad's also laughing "See? You can even get a lesson out of their stupidity and idiocy." He told En.

"And besides, Alex **knew** that he will reject her, but she didn't expect to be in **that** way" Rurik added, now he got the attention of all the people present, the twins even stopped at their stupid sparring.

"What do you mean she **knew** that Naru will reject her?" Bou-san asked. And Rurik told them about what Mai dreamt before the day she will confess, Naru widened his eyes.

"Then why did she confessed when she **knew **what will happen?" Masako asked Naru's silent question, he want to know it too, _if she knew it really, then why she let herself to get hurt?_ He asked his self

"Funny, I also asked her that, but she told me 'It's better to get hurt by doing it and letting him know, than regretting at the end without telling him what I really feel towards him'" he explained.

"Why did you open this topic to us?" John asked him.

Rurik looked at him, and the rest "because, I want him and Alex to fixed everything between them, I can sense an awkward atmosphere between our bosses, and whenever there's someone get close to her, I can sense a great jealousy, and murderous glare, if this will continue, what will happen to the case?"

"What do you mean 'fixed' everything? You want Alex to get hurt again?" En asked, he almost yelled.

Rurik shook her head "No. I want them to talk about whatever issue they had before."

"My brother loves Mai, but because he's an idiot, he didn't know how to tell her" Gene said at them

"Yeah, he's way of expressing it was thru teasing her" Yasu added

"And he always ordered her at the office, to make a tea for him in every ten-minutes, just to see her alone in his office." Lin said too

"And during our cases before, he always said 'since you're an idiot, and a danger magnet, you stay here at the base with me and Lin' just to make her stay with him." John said honestly.

"But the question is 'Did she **still** love him?' I don't think she still did" En cut their conversation, he emphasized the word 'still'

"That's a one-hundred-dollar-question you have there, En" the twins said in unison

He gave Naru, who is still silent for the whole time, an evil smirk "If you're planning on winning her back, I'll put out a fight, a fight where you can't even ask my brother for help." He said in a serious, and determined voice.

"Fine. I'll accept your challenge. I know Mai still loves me, it's me that she will choose between us. I can see it in her eyes." Naru confidently said, _right? Mai still loves me… right? She still have that kind of look, when he looked at me before_, he convinced his self, he's glaring at En and he didn't notice the way his brother frown and furrowed his eyebrow.

"You already have her within your reach before, but just ditched her when she went onto you, that's why this time, I will not let you have her." He looked at Rurik, "I already know the truth about this case, so I don't need to hear it again." With that, he walked out from the group and went upstairs, the others just sighed at him, the IPR members looked at Naru.

"We still despised you, you know, but if you're the one who can give back the happiness that she lost, we won't object to it." Xander seriously said to him, and the others nodded.

Kir sighed "Whether we forgive you or not, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Yeah. Because to us, Alex's happiness is all that matter" Boris continued

"But we should still wish you 'good luck' En is not an easy rival" the twins said together

"I won't say 'promise us you will never make her cry', that's one of the most stupid line I've ever heard, because there will really be a time that you will make her cry, maybe unintentionally." He stared at him fiercely "But, if you will hurt her again because of your stupidity, that's another story, if that will happen, I won't give a second thought about throwing you to the demon world, I will just easily open the portal wherever you are, and trapped you there for eternity" Vlad said in a threatening voice, Rurik thwack him with a pillow.

"Enough, let's move on to the case already." He said, and Vlad pouted, he looked at the people in the room "The house that we were going, is the same house where Ryuu died four years ago." He started

"So it means that's where Mai…" Masako didn't continue it, and it seems they all understand it.

Kir softly nodded "Yeah, that's the place where she lost **him**."

"So, we will be dealing with demons then?" Bou-san asked

Vlad shook his head "Not at all, there are a lot of spirits trapped in that house too, and they can't move on, the only thing to do is to forcely exorcise them"

Gene frowned "Why didn't you exorcise them before?" he asked

"We didn't, or rather, we **can't **because, we're dealing with eight demons at that time." Boris answered

"E-Eight?!" They all exclaimed

"Yeah, it's really a tough case, plus some of them are capable of putting a shield or a barrier around themselves" The twins added.

"What?!" Lin almost pounced from surprise, he didn't heard of a demon capable of putting a shield or a barrier. _This is interesting, very interesting,_ he thought. They just nodded at Lin's reaction, well, they do react the same way as he did when they saw it though, so they understand.

All of them were silent, until Madoka asked out of curiosity "You defeated them all?"

Vlad shook his head, as he answered "We defeated only five of them."

"Then why is that… **fateful** thing happened?" John asked, thinking about the right word to use.

The IPR team looked at each other, they sadly looked down "We caught on the trap that they set for us." Boris said softly

Rurik started the flashback story "At that time, Sasha, Sashura, and Kir, they heard a woman crying at the basement, calling for their help, Alex heard it too, but the three volunteered to go down and check…."

"But when we're the basement, there's a woman, who looked like Alex, lying with her own blood covering her body, when we walk towards her, she changed into her true form – a demon. She trapped us in the basement, and made a spell that we can't use our abilities." Kir continued, as he closed his eyes, recollecting the events that happened during that time.

"So we engaged in physical fight, but every time we attack, she changed herself into Alex and crying, and we were so stupid, we always caught off guard, that's how she chained us and torture us slowly. We don't know why but it seems they knew our weaknesses" Sasha said in a regrettable voice.

Naru furrowed his eyebrow "Weaknesses?"

"Yeah, the twins and Kir, Alex's tears is one of their weaknesses. For Vlad, it's her little sister; For Boris, his patients and adoptive parents; For Xander, his adoptive mother; and for Alex, his only brother, and Ryuu" Rurik answered him

"And, what about you?" He asked bluntly

Rurik looked at him "Of course, my family, and love ones" he looked at his team members as he mention them one-by-one "Vlad got a call from her sister that time, saying that there are five men following her, holding a knife; Boris got a call from the hospital that one of his patients are dying, and can't wait for the operation; Xander's mother called saying that, someone is in their house; and as for me, I got a called from my father saying that, mother and my sisters got into an accident."

Xander clenched his fist "So we immediately left the house, leaving Alex and Ryuu behind, we didn't even think how odd it is, to got a peculiar calls at the same time. But when we confronted those people who called us, they were confused saying they didn't made such call, and that's when we grasped the situation, they used it to tricked us, to made us leave the house." He almost raised his voice.

There's a long silence before Boris decided to continue "When we came back hastily at the house, it's too late, we're too late. We already saw Ryuu's lifeless body lying on the floor drenched on his own blood, while Alex was hugging him, crying." He's gnashing to avert his tears from forming.

"When we reviewed the tape, we saw that when we all left, she received a call from her brother's assistant, saying that Yulian got into an accident and was critical, while she's still on the phone, one of the demons tried to kill her from behind, but when she turned around she saw how Ryuu jumped right in front of her, hugging her while protecting her." Sashura told them, as he tried not to get angry at his self.

"And that's when we all thought, they knew that Ryuu's weaknesses is Alex, and Ryuu is one of Alex's weaknesses." Vlad finished it.

"En didn't join you that time?" Lin asked curiously.

The twins shook their heads, "That's the time when he went to see you in England"

Ayako can't keep silent too, so she decided to ask "So we're dealing with three demons and ghosts?"

Boris looked at them, and he shook his head "We defeated the other two demons, but the other one, he escaped. Maybe he's the one that we will be dealing with. We don't know if he's the one who used that tricked on us before, though."

"That's why guys, we don't want you to do such rushed decision. He might not attack us physically, but rather emotionally." Kir warned them.

The twins looked at them with a worried look "That's why we're worried about Alex"

Gene raised his eyebrow "And why's that? She's strong right?" he asked

Sasha sighed "We're not talking about her abilities here, but rather, her emotional state."

"That's true, if this demon was the same demon from four years ago, he should know Mai, and attack her emotionally" Masako agreed, as she covered her mouth with her kimono.

"It's much better for Mai not to join us" John suggested softly

Yasuhara nodded and agreed "Yeah, I agree. But do you think she will agree to it? You know how stubborn that girl is."

"Can't you convince her guys?" Gene asked the IPR members, he's much worried about her.

"You think we didn't try? You're the one who already said it, she's so stubborn." Boris stated irritably at them, the others looked at him and he seems edgy than he usually does.

Kir looked at the SPR, he noticed that there are three women at the group, _better tell them_, he decided "Besides from the demon, the ghosts targeted young women. So I want your team to be careful." He added suddenly, this made the SPR looked at him.

Bou-san let out a snickered "So Ayako and Madoka, no need to worry okay? Both of you are not fit to be the ghosts target anyway."

Madoka raised her eyebrow at him "Huh? We're women too, you know."

"Did you forget? **Young **women. Yeah, you're both women, but young? Huh, I doubt that." After he said that, Ayako's fist landed on his face.

"Speak for yourself, you old idiot monk!" Ayako whined and they started another useless argument again, without caring at the other people in the room.

"Is that how they flirt with each other?" the twins whispered to Gene.

Gene nodded "Yeah, they are more or less the same as Noll and Mai."

Vlad cleared his throat to get their attention "So, back to the topic, I can assume that all of you knows how to use kuji, right?"

"Ayako, and Lin are the one who are quite skillful." Naru paused for a moment "And also Mai" he added.

"Is it a kuji against demons?" Xander asked them

"There's kuji against demons?" Ayako surprisingly asked

Vlad nodded "Yeah, that's what we always use."

Lin furrowed his eyebrow "What's the difference?"

"Can you demonstrate your kuji?" Rurik behest and Lin do what he asked.

Kir 'hmm-ed' "The first word comes with a cross cut, not horizontal, and aside from that, everything is the same. And anyone can use it, as long as you possessed psychic abilities." Ayako and Lin nodded from understanding, at least now they learned another type of kuji.

Xander looked at Naru and gave him the files about the house "I want your researchers to gather information about the land where that house was built. The real estate agency won't give us the information, and Alex thought, that maybe, it has something to do with the land itself." Naru raised his eyebrow and as he looked at the picture, and gave it Madoka, the others peeked at it too.

"Shura tried using psychometry on the land, but someone, or something blocked us." Boris affirmed

"They didn't give you the information, right? Why would you think they will give it to us?" Yasuhara asked logically

"You are foreigners, and if you introduce yourselves as a member of BSPR, they might give the information to you since you came from far away." The twins said together.

"We will try. But, can they understand English?" Madoka curiously asked

"Yeah, they can, but still, I will let my sister come with you. Just to be certain." Vlad offered.

Naru was about to ask on something when he heard his brother "So who will be the in-charge on this cases?" he looked at him, _that useless medium, he read my mind again,_ he thought, well at least he save him asking. That's what bothering him, the in-charge on this case; he knows that he can't give orders directly to the other team, and that they will only listen to Mai.

"We will discuss about that tomorrow, when Alex can join us." Rurik looked at the wall clock "And it's late, we should have a rest now."

The twins stretched their body, and yawn "Yeah, I agree. We still have work tomorrow". They all agreed. They all went upstairs, and into their rooms.

* * *

All the IPR members shared one room, when they entered they saw En already sleeping… or not. Vlad throw a pillow on him but he caught it, he turned to face them when he heard them giggling. He raised his eyebrow "What?"

Still giggling "That was a great acting En, you might win an Oscar awards." Kir said

He sit and throw the pillow back at hem "It wasn't an act when I want to punch him, if Ru and Kir didn't manage to stop me, I don't know what will happen."

Boris sighed "We weren't talking about the punch, we're talking about the challenge that you gave to Oliver" he said

He chuckled "You noticed?"

"Of course! It was obvious." Xander said as he sit on his own bed, but sobered "But, I guess, you did the right thing"

He punched his palm "I want to teach that guy a lesson. I want to see how far he will go just to win her back." En said seriously.

"You mean, in courting Alex?" The twins asked

Rurik snorted "As if Oliver Davis knows anything about courtship."

"Let's just watch and eat some popcorn!" The twins cheered.

"Idiots!" they all said.

* * *

"Noll, what now?" Gene asked, when they entered their room.

Naru raised his eyebrow at his brother's question "What do you mean?"

"About Mai, idiot." He answered, he looked at Lin "Do you think your brother is serious about Mai, Lin?"

Lin stared at him for a moment "Yes. It's the first I saw him that angry."

"Mai won't choose him." Naru uttered out of the blue, as he took his notes and start writing whatever they talked about earlier.

"You can't be sure. His question have a point, what if she no longer loves you?" he almost raised his voice, sometimes, his brother's overconfident attitude can be irritating, "Noll, I can't imagine that there are other girls who will truly love you for who you are, you know. Accepting your imperfections, who don't care if you're the great Oliver Davis or not – it's only her, only Mai. You should win her back, idiot scientist! I can't imagine your life without Mai. I know how much you love her."

Naru shut his notes "Mai **still** loves me Gene, and I won't lose to Kouen. We will talk and fixed everything." He said as he put his notes on the table

"And what if she no longer loves you? Will you court her?" Lin asked

"Court?" he snorted "As if, there's no need for courtship, I know she still loves me, nothing has change on the way she looked at me."

Gene and Lin looked at each other for a moment, and then back at Naru "It's your words Oliver" Lin uttered as he lay down. Naru looked at his brother and noticed his serious expression on his face "What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. Just thinking on random things. We should sleep now." Naru yawned, and slump his body on the bed.

Gene can't sleep; he's staring at the ceiling. He wanted to talk to Mai _privately_, but he wonder how will he do it without his brother or the others to notice, and then he got an idea, he grinned for a moment _since we already know who she is, it's useless to block me now, right?_ He thought. He fall asleep hoping that he will see her on _that_ place again.

* * *

**[A/N]:**

Guuuys~ i posted** TWO** new stories... and i need your support like what you did in this story...** ^_^v**


	13. Ne Naru…

**Chapter 13 – Ne Naru…**

**[A/N]**

Guys~ I know the last chapter was a mess… Gomenasai! *bows*

I'm still traveling now, for inspiration and information… Its sooo~ tough to look for a subject as reference for the romance part… LOL!

* * *

Mai woke up nearly five in the morning, she stretched her body and smiled when she remembered something, "that was some serious talk with Gene" she said to herself. She took a shower, and prepared for her photo shoot later, she was greeted by her maids when she went down stairs, and told them to clean the patio, lanai and the pool, and she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, she's aware that her team will do their other jobs today, but she wondered what will the SPR do. She sighed, she don't know how to face them now that they knew about their case, will they gave her such pitiful look like what the other did to her before? Her thoughts were cut off when she heard voices at the living room, as a researcher you should have a sharp sense of hearing, right?

"It smells great, I wonder what jou-san's cooking." She heard Bou-san said

"We should help her, she's cooking for more than ten people." That was Ayako, she smiled hearing this.

Yasu, John, and Madoka went to the kitchen to help her, but she's almost finish, "That was fast!" Madoka exclaimed.

She chuckled "When I have visitors I woke up early to cook for their breakfast" she said

"You don't need our help Mai-_chan_?" John asked

"Oh, I think I need your help later. For now, can you help me with the plates John?" She asked politely.

Yasu was yawning "By the way Mai, we discussed it last night that we will come with you and watched your photo shoot." He said.

Mai wasn't surprised, it so like them to ask something like that, "Did Naru agreed?" she asked as she get the plates, John and Yasu helped her.

Madoka gave her meaningful grinned "He don't have a choice but to go with us" Mai chuckled, she asked Madoka to help her put the foods on the table, it seems all of the SPR members are now awake, she greeted them a lively 'good morning', and usual, Naru's lack of manner is astonishing so she didn't expect him to respond, she looked at Gene and smiled at him, and he gave her a meaningful smile in return, in the corner of her eyes she noticed Naru raised his eyebrow and nudged on him. She looked at the clock, its seven o'clock and her team members are still sleeping! She mentally groaned, never mind the others but Sasha and Rurik, their photo shoot will start eight in the morning.

_Choke them to wake up!_ She irritably ordered to all her shikis

She heard them chuckled as they went to their room, after a few moments they are all coming down, they are all caressing their necks, the others are coughing, Mai giggled at the view before her.

Kir heaved a sigh "we thought we're gonna die." The twins groaned as an agreement, still massaging their necks.

"Gods!" Vlad exclaimed, as he sit on the chair in the dining room, and the others followed "Talk about the best way to wake us up."

"What happened to you guys? I looks like you were coked by a demon." Ayako pronounced, they are all staring at her, and Mai laugh softly.

"We were **literally **choked by a demon to wake up" Xander grumbled.

"Alex, next time, can you please tell your shikis to choke us softly?" En complained as he's serving food on his own plate.

Mai chuckled "Oh, don't worry En, I'll tell next time."

They are on the middle of their breakfast when Gene started a telepathic conversation with Mai.

**Mai**

_Yes?_ She simply glanced at him

**Thanks**

_No problem. I feel the same too. Have you talk to him?_

**Not yet, maybe later. When Noll's not around.**

_H'm. That's better._ She looked at Naru who's staring at his brother. She cut off the connection and block it, she got the feeling that Naru will try to connect in their telepathic conversation.

* * *

Mai, Rurik, and Sasha arrived at the studio at exactly eight a.m. together with the SPR members, Madoka and Ayako helped her with her wig when they are still in the car, and she already put her green contact lens. She went to her dressing room to change, but it was interrupted by a knock on the door, when she opn it, she saw Madoka, Ayako, and Masako, with a makeup kit on her hand, she widened her eyes as if she show what are they planning, she tried to close the door but Madoka was fast to blocked it.

"That won't do Mai-_chan_, Rurik and Sasha asked for our help last night" Madoka cheerfully said

She groaned and open the door wider and let them in. She sit in front of the mirror and continue what she's been doing earlier, she's curling her hair, I mean, her blond wig.

"Mai, what will you endorse in this photo shoot?" Ayako asked

She looked at her, "The Maybelline's new Red Cherry Lipstick" as if on a cue, someone knocked at her door, when she opened it was one of the staff who brought her a box of lipstick that she's going to endorse, and she gladly took it. She carefully closed the door after saying thanks to the staff.

"OH MY…" The girls squeaked

"Is that the new product?" Ayako pointed the box on the table

"Yeah, if you want I can give you some" she saw some sparkling in their eyes, they are so happy

"Thank you!" they went to the table and took some of the product, they went in front of the mirror and carefully applied it on their lips, it was glossy. A lipstick and a lip gloss combined together. Ayako seductively pouted her lips, same with Madoka, she giggled at the two.

"Bou-san and Lin will going to flip when they see you doing that" she commented and saw Madoka blushed

"Hey! Why would I seduce that old man?" Ayako whined immediately

Mai chuckled at her, she saw Masako went at her dresser and started to choose what she would wear, she sighed when she can't choose, she called Ayako to help her since Madoka started to fix Mai's hair, rather, wig.

"Mai should be seductive since she's going to endorse a lipstick" Mai heard what Ayako said, after sometime, the two agreed on a white long-sleeved blazer and a shorts, and three-inches heeled boots. She's about to protest when Madoka stop her.

"Don't think about it Mai-_chan_, it looks good in you, I'm sure Noll's going flip when he sees you on that" she winked at her.

She blushed, she can't believe she said what she just said earlier, "Madoka that's plagiarism" she teased.

Ayako handed her the dress and she obediently took them, after she wear it, she tied the extra fabric hanging on the blazer in front of her showing her bellybutton and her curves.

Masako lead her to the chair in front of the mirror again "Now for the makeup" she said

"No!" she protested, and stood up "I will only wear the lipstick and powder, that's all"

Ayako sighed "Mai, that won't do. You have to wear at least light makeup. We will make you more beautiful, trust us"

She sighed admitting her defeat, they won't stop pestering her anyway until she will give in, she sit back at the chair, they start putting her a light make up, and of course the lipstick that she's going to endorse.

* * *

The SPR guys are on their way to the studio, many people glance at them wondering if they are a model or not. The girls flirtingly squeaked when Gene look at their direction and smile, Naru groaned at his brother's behavior.

"Gene stop flirting" he retorted as he glared at his brother, he heard a snicker from the back when he turned, he saw Bou-san, En, and Yasu smirking at him

"Oh, I'm surprise that you can tell whether I'm flirting or not" Gene answered

"It's too obvious"

"So can you give me an idea how to flirt without making it obvious?" he teased

"It will not work on you. It will only work on me"

"It will only work on him when he's flirting with Mai" Bou-san and Yasu said together, he glared at them, they laugh when they saw him blushed. They are talking about whatever-they-come-to-think as they sit on the table that Rurik reserved for them, En and Gene seems to have their own world and talking seriously. A photographer approached them and asked which model agency they came from, since he's talking in Russian and they didn't understand it, En answered it for them, telling him that they are Xandra's friend from overseas, the photographer was crestfallen upon hearing it, and went back to his work. They stopped from whatever they are talking about when the door opened revealing Mai, Masako, Ayako, and Madoka. Mai blushed when she saw Naru, and averted her gaze, Madoka grinned when she saw Lin, she went towards him she sit on his lap and kiss his neck leaving an imprint of her lips with the lipstick that she used. They all stifled a laugh seeing Lin's reaction, he's shock yet his face is red as tomato. They all looked at the stage when they heard laughter; there they saw Sasha with a camera on his hand.

"That was amazing!" he exclaimed then he position his camera, without any warning he clicked the camera. He heard them protest saying they are not in their best pose. "Stolen shots are the best, it will tell the real you" he smile at them.

The photographer in-charged called Mai, Rurik, and Sasha, to get ready, the two guys removed their tops without thinking about the other people in the room, revealing their well-toned abs, and wearing ONLY ragged jeans. Masako blushed from what she saw, Madoka and Ayako gaped, they were astonished from the view in front of them, seeing her reaction, Lin nudged his girlfriend to snapped out.

"Oh my Lin is jealous!" she teased, and she heard En chuckled. She looked at him "En, are they both singles?" she asked

Lin sighed from relief when he saw his brother shook his head "Rurik have a girlfriend, and Sasha is courting someone" Madoka pouted at his answer. They looked at the stage when they heard Mai raised her voice, but they don't understand what they are saying, all they can see is Mai blushing hard.

"NO! I will not do that" she exclaimed at the photographer who's giving them an instruction what they should do, he asked her to imprint a kiss mark on their abdomen to make it more seductive.

The guys chuckled "Xandra is still innocent do that; I think we can asked someone who will do it, right?" Sasha looked at the photographer

He sighed "And who will do it?"

"AYAKO!" Mai immediately said, she went to Ayako and grabbed her wrist before she can protest, and went back to the stage, "She will do it" she said to the photographer

Ayako who still lost, from what's going on, asked Mai "What's happening?"

"Can you leave an imprint of your lips on their abdomen?" she asked, when she saw her raised her eyebrow "Like what Madoka did to Lin earlier"

"So I will kiss them?"

"Technically, yes" Ayako squeaked and hugged Mai

"I will gladly do it!" she cheerfully said

The two guys looked at the photographer "It's solve" they both said

Ayako was grinning on her way back to the table to get the lipstick on her purse when Madoka asked "What's going on?"

"Mai asked me a favor" she simply said

"And what is it?" Yasu curiously asked

"The photographer asked Mai to leave an imprint of her lips on their abdomen, but it seems she won't do it, that's why she asked me to do it. To kiss their abs!" she heard Madoka and Yasu squeaked, she continue retouching her lipstick when the photographer approached her

"Are you ready?" he asked in Russian, Ayako stared at him, obviously she don't understand any of it

"He's asking if you're ready" En translated it to her

"Yes, yes" she nodded to make him understand. He smiled and lead her to where Rurik and Sasha are waiting. He instructed her where she will put the imprint. She tilted her head to make a good angle and shape, when she heard a squeaked. She know they were Madoka and Yasu. When the photographer is satisfied, he thanks her.

"Your boyfriend is jealous" Sasha suddenly asked

Ayako looked at him "I don't have a boyfriend"

"Oh? Then what about that guy whom you called 'Bou-san'?"

She gasped "He's definitely not my boyfriend" she turned around and went back to their table, and noticed that Bou-san seems so quiet.

* * *

The three positioned their selves, Mai on the middle, Rurik on her right, and Sasha on her left. Both guys wrapped their hands on Mai's waist, and Sasha's other hand was caressing her left thigh, and Rurik was on the position to untie the knot on her blazer. And their heads are tilting as if kissing her neck; one of her hand caressing Rurik's neck down to his chest, while the other is on top of Sasha's hand on her thigh. The photographer gave an 'okay' and start taking photos. Without knowing that a certain Japanese guy is controlling his self so he will not lose control of his PK.

Gene patted his brother's shoulder "C'mon Noll, it's just a photo shoot, its part of their work. Don't get jealous"

"I'm not jealous!" he said, but his voice saying otherwise.

"Naru-_chan_ is jealous" Yasu, Madoka, and Gene, teased together. He ignored them and looked back at Mai, and he notice Sasha whispered something to Mai, and his hand is going higher and higher. He gritted, and before anyone can stop him the lightning in the room and on the stage crashed. The staff screamed.

"Noll!" Gene called, he glared at his brother and raised his eyebrow when he saw him grinned. Gene turned to En, "I won! I told you, he will lose control of his PK" Naru heard En groaned and saw him took his wallet and handed Gene some money. He saw the three models approaching them, and laugh softly.

"That was you right?" Rurik asked Naru, he grinned when he didn't get an answer, he looked at Gene and shook his head as he took his wallet on his bag and handed him some cash, Sasha did the same too. Naru raised his eyebrow on this.

"What's going on?" he asked his brother who only grinned at him.

"He told us that when the photo shoot started, we MUST expect that moments later the lightning will be crashed by your PK" Sasha explained "Of course, we don't believe it, then he let out the phrase 'wanna bet?' and we all agreed. And unfortunately, he was right" he continued. He shot a murderous glare at his brother. Who just smirked at him.

"How are you feeling?" Mai suddenly asked

He looked at her and soften when he saw the concern in her eyes "I'm fine, thanks" and smile

The group gasped and stared at him, and groaned. They ALL gave cash money to Gene, even Lin! And his brother's laughter echoed the room.

Gene let his laughter subside "Noll, you will be the reason of my richness one day" he said between giggles.

They heard a phone ringing, and Rurik excused his self. After a few moments, Rurik went out first, he still have to go to the location of the movie that he's doing with Kir, and it seems Sashura – the director, is getting impatient. Mai also excused herself to change, after she told them to wait at the parking lot. They all agreed and En lead them the way.

* * *

Evening come and the SPR members are all in the living room, together with the IPR member. They are all exhausted – the SPR, from sightseeing and shopping; while the IPR, from their other work. The boss on each team is on the patio, after their dinner, Mai called Naru to join her there and talked about 'something'.

"Hey you wanna know what they are talking about?" Yasu said with a mischievous grinned on his face

"I think they need sometime alone to talk" John softly said

The twins grinned and pull out a mini-speaker "we put a listening device under the table that they're sitting" they turn on the speaker, and they are all encircling the device on the center, they heard a static sound at first, then they heard Mai's voice.

"_I know we have issues that we must talk about Oliver, for our peace of mind and for our team to fully work together"_ they heard Mai said, they are all quiet, holding their breath while waiting for Naru's answer, and then they heard him sigh.

"_Yeah I agree"_ then there was silence, and a chuckled was heard from Naru "_I really miss you calling me 'Naru' Mai, after all you're the one who baptized me with that name. 'Oliver' doesn't sound right when it comes from you"_ he said

Mai chuckled _"Really? I didn't know you really wanted to be called a 'narcissistic'"_

"_Really. If it comes from you, then I don't mind being called a narcissistic"_ he answered. There was silence again, the eavesdroppers felt the tension in the air between the two bosses.

"_Ne Naru…"_ Mai said

"This is it!" Yasu said, "She's going to confess"

En snorted "I doubt" he said.

"I must ready my shoulders for Noll's tears" Gene said too

"_I… don't love you anymore"_ they heard her said. The eavesdroppers gasped from what they heard from Mai, they are all dumbfounded. The IPR members recovered from the shock and laugh softly. And they are all looking at En and Gene.

En smirked at the people in the room "Told ya" he said and walk his way to the kitchen.

* * *

**[A/N]**

I wrote the first half when I'm in Russia and the second half when I'm on the airport going to Sweden. And some people keep on staring at me, asking if I'm alright. Hahah xD

I'm really sorry for the delayed.


	14. Team Leader

**Chapter 14 – Team Leader**

Mai stayed at the patio after dinner, she need to composed herself before talking to Naru. She called him when she saw him walking towards the stairs, and gesture him to sit on the vacant chair that she purposely reserved for him, and the tea. Both of them are silent for a moment until Naru decided to talk.

"It took us a while to have some time alone like this" he stated, and heard her chuckled

She looked at him "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm kinda busy"

"I can see that"

They were silent again. Mai heaved a sighed, she really want to ease the awkwardness between the two of them.

"I know we have issues that we must talk about Oliver, for our peace of mind and for our team to fully work together" she said, she looked at him and saw him sigh and sip the tea.

"Yeah I agree" he pause and chuckled "I really miss you calling me 'Naru' Mai, after all you're the one who baptized me with that name. 'Oliver' doesn't sound right when it comes from you" he said

Mai chuckled "Really? I didn't know you really wanted to be called a 'narcissistic'"

"Really. If it comes from you, then I don't mind being called a narcissistic" he answered. There was silence again.

"Ne Naru…" Mai said, for a moment she hesitate to continue "I… don't love you anymore" she said without looking at his eyes.

Naru immediately look at her, he opened his mouth to say something but no words will come out, he close his eyes and took a deep breath, then he look at her again "Is it because of En?" he managed to ask.

She shook her head "No"

"Gene?"

"Huh, a big NO"

"Then why? Are you… are you tired of me?" he softly asked, and tears slowly fall from his eyes.

"You're an idiot if you think like that" she chuckled

"I like you Mai… No, not 'like' but love… I love you" he paused and took a deep breath to calm his self "I only realized how much I love you when you're gone one year ago, when I saw your apartment empty"

Mai reached his face and wipe his tears with her thumb, and smile "Thank you. I appreciate it, but the 'Mai' that you love is the 'Mai' from years ago Naru, not the 'Mai' that you see now"

He hold her hand tightly that still on his face and shook his head "No Mai, the person that I love is right in front me, nothing has change whether you change your name, or your appearance, for me you still my Mai. Whether you are my klutz assistant or the boss of the other psychic research company, I don't care. You are you" his tears keep on flowing, he hold his breath when she lean forward and kiss his forehead

"It won't change anything Naru, but still" she paused and look at his eyes "thank you" she smile and stood up, she turned to get back in the house. She gasped when firm arms wrap her waist, and she can feel the well-tone chest with rapid heartbeats on her back, and the smell of tea.

"Will you give me a chance?" he asked, he gripped her tightly

"What?"

"Will you give me chance to win your love again? And to be the man that deserves you, and your love?" he seriously asked, without letting go, Mai turned to face him and saw her carefree smile, the smile that he's dying to see.

"Maybe?" she cupped his face with her hand and smiled at him "C'mon, let's come inside its getting colder out here"

Naru let her go. And they both went inside the house to discuss who will be the in-charge for this case. But when both team gathered they are all silent, no one wants to speak first.

Mai sighed "What happen?" she asked

"Are you okay?" En asked back. She nodded then smile.

"So… for this case, Alex will be the in-charge" Rurik stated.

"Why me?"

"Because you are the common denominator in both team" Sasha answered

Both team look at Naru waiting for his opinion. Mai wonder if it will be okay for him. Knowing his narcissistic attitude.

"I agree" Naru said, the SPR all agreed too "besides, I can't order the IPR around like I used to do with my team"

"That's right Mai. If it's you, they will do what you will tell them to do because they trust you" Gene added

"But –"

"If it's about us, we trust you Jou-chan" Bou-san assured her. SPR and IPR all agreed to Rurik's idea.

"Well, it's final then. Alex will be the team leader for this case" Rurik take a note about it.

Mai give them their assigned task "So tomorrow, Sasha and Boris will leave for Germany; Madoka and Yasu will go to the real estate and ask about the history of that place, and you will have Vlad's sister to come with you; Lin, Rurik, and Ayako, make enough charms tonight"

"But Mai, isn't it too early to make a charm?" Ayako asked

"No, it's the best time to make a charm"

"Why is that?"

"Full moon" Rurik answered "its full moon tonight. It is when the spiritual powers at its strongest"

"I never about it" Lin stated

"This belief is not passed down in Japanese and Chinese sorcery."

Lin frowned "Why?"

Rurik shrugged "I don't know. Ask your elders."

"Enough!" Mai ordered "Let me continue, Oliver, En, and Kir I want you to go to the National library, find whatever information you can gather about this case" She saw Naru and En wanted to object "I will hear your objections later, let me finish first" She immediately said. "Xander, I want you to train Gene and Masako"

"Train them? For what?" Alexander asked, he is used to train somebody though.

"They are both mediums, but only limited to ghosts and spirits"

"I see. You want me to train them like I did to you?"

"Yes"

"Mai, what training will it be?" Masako worriedly asked

"For you to become a true medium"

"But Gene is already a true medium. I trained him before" Lin objected, Madoka seconded.

Alexander smirked "Really?" then he snapped his fingers.

En sighed "He's not anieue*" he looked at his brother "The way you trained Gene before, and the way Xander trained Kir and Alex, it's different"

"What do you mean?"

En looked at Gene "Do you feel something?" he asked him. He sighed when he shook his head "This is what I mean anieue, if he is a true medium he should at least feel Xander's ekikis* hugging him from behind" En explained. "You are being soft on training Gene, anieue. You are holding back, you are afraid getting him hurt. While Xander, he's willing to hurt them if it means unlocking their hidden potential"

"And besides, all medium in IPR, including the English branch they are all true medium and was trained by Xander, even me, Kir, and Sasha" Boris added.

Naru is worried for his brother. But he trust Mai's decision.

"You have my consent, Alexander." Naru firmly said

"Are you sure Naru?" Lin asked.

"Yes. I trust Mai"

"Thank you" Mai smiled at him "Now lastly, Vlad" Mai called

"Yes?"

"I want you to let John and Bou-san stay at your house."

"Eh?" All of them was surprised

"And why?" Vlad asked, well he was surprised as well.

"They are both exorcist, I want you to show them the different kind of exorcism that deals with demon, especially John, since he is a Catholic priest"

"Okay. Roger!"

"That ends tonight's meeting. Your dismissed" She stood up and went to her bedroom.

"It's too early to sleep. I wonder why she went to bed already" Madoka wondered

"She's preparing herself for the case" Boris stated

"But she seems so prepared"

"No she's not. She's not emotionally prepared yet"

"I see"

They understand what Boris said. Mai is not yet emotionally prepare to go back to that house – to the place where she lost someone so important to her.

[A/N]

Hello! It's been a while *wave*wave*

I didn't abandon you all. Many things happen to me, a bad thing, a good thing, then a bad thing… stuff like that!

I miss you all.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**[A/N]**

WHBIS is back after a long time...

WARNING: This is a short chapter... ^^

* * *

The next day, Sasha and Boris left for Germany to help Yulian on a case. "I'm leaving them in your care" was his last words for Ayako, and the miko assured him. Vlad went home together with John and Bou-san. Gene and Masako are both in Alexander's hand.

"Xandra!" a woman older than her for one year, came. She looked at the SPR members and smiled "I'm Vlad's sister, Sophia. Nice to meet you" she slightly bowed, the SPR bowed in response.

"Sophie, this is urgent, I want you – "

"to accompany Madoka, and Yasuhara to the real estate company, right?" Eve looked at her "Vlad already informed me"

"Thank you"

"By the way Xandra, that blond boy who went home with Vlad earlier, what's his name? He's kinda cute~" her eyes glittered

"John is a priest. He's Out of the market" Mai saw her pouted, she chuckled "Since you're at it, give Oliver, En and Kir a ride"

She raised her eyebrow "To where?"

"To the National Library and after, to the State Library"

Sophie whistled "That's a lot of work"

Mai thought for moment "You're right" she looked at her assistant "Ru, are you done on the charms?"

"Not yet. We only managed to make a hundred pieces last night, why?"

"I'm thinking if you, Lin and Ayako could go to the State Library. To make the work faster"

"Alex, I'll come with them" Sashura declared as he went down from the stairs

"Are you done with the novel that you've been writing?" She asked, lately he's been busy writing a new novel

"Not yet. But I need a break" he replied. He looked at Lin and Ayako

"I'm fine with that" Lin stated

"Me too" Ayako seconded

Sophia took the car keys "Then let's go!"

* * *

Mai went to the cemetery, she's sitting in front of Ryuu's grave.

"It's been years since you leave me, but for me, I still feel like it's only yesterday" tears slowly rolled on her cheeks "Please. Give me the strength to fight these monsters who took you away from me. I don't know if I can do it, I'm still scared. I don't want anyone will die in this case"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Ryuu. Because of me... because of me, you died" Mai let herself cried to ease the burden in her chest. Without a doubt, she still feel guilty from what happen, she felt a cold wind embracing her and its feel comfortable. "Ryuu..." she whispered

* * *

"Have you found her?" Madoka worriedly ask Naru. It's already eight in the evening and Mai is still not home, Naru and Sashura are trying to find her through psychometry.

Naru shook his head "Nothing"

"Same with mine" Sashura seconded

"Did she blocked you again?" En asked, he smirked when Naru remained silent.

Rurik walked back and forth thinking where Mai could go.

Kir heaved a sigh "They gonna kill us if they know that Alex is missing"

_Mai... Where are you?_ Naru thought as he stared at the necklace

"I can only feel a cold wind" Naru said "But its pitch black"

"Yeah, and it's faint, but I felt a familiar aura" Sashura added this made Rurik look at him

"A familiar aura?" Lin asked

Sashura nodded

"What kind of aura?" Yasu can't help but asked

Sashura was thinking, recalling where he felt that kind of aura "Is it... Similar to Ryuu's?" Rurik suddenly asked

All of them looked at him.

"Ah!" Sashura finally remembered "That's it! It was Ryuu's aura! She's in the place where I can feel Ryuu!"

"What?!" They all exclaimed

Without a second thought, Rurik took the car keys and went to the garage. Kir ordered the maids to open the gate.

"Where are you going?" Ayako asked

He answered without looking back "I'm going to get Mai. If Shura can feel Ryuu's aura, then she's in that place"

Naru was about to stand, he wanted to come with him, "I'm going too!" En rushed outside, and Rurik drive the car.

"Where are they going?" Ayako curiously asked to the remaining IPR member in the house

"They're going to the cemetery where Ryuu was buried" Kir choose to answer

"Oh, I see"

The room filled with silence. They are all waiting for them to arrive. Hours later, they heard the familiar car engines, Kouen was the one driving Mai's car and Mai's in Rurik's car – sleeping. He carried her to her room, En gestured them to keep quite trying not to wake her up.

"Where have she been?" Yasuhara asked

"Cemetery, she visited Ryuu's grave. Mai... Mai is not yet emotionally ready to go back in that house" En softly answered

Everyone fell silent. No one tried to say something.

"She's fine, she just fall asleep" Rurik said as descended from the stairs

"FALL ASLEEP IN A CEMENTERY?!" the girls exclaimed

Rurik chuckled "Yeah" he looked at the time "It's already late, let's go to bed, and have our meeting tomorrow" he instructed everyone. And luckily, no one complained.

* * *

Next Chapter will be their case proper... :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

_"Alex" she looked around to find the person who's been calling her name for a while now._

_"Alex" she heard it again. "Alex" this time it came from her back, she suddenly turned around and found Ryuu, kneeling in front of her, "I know we were both young, but Mai, when the right time comes, will you marry me?" he asked smiling._

_Her tears can't stop from flowing, she's happy, very, very, very happy, and she reached out her left hand "Of course, Ryuu! I will!" He gently placed the ring on her ring finger, and kissed it, he stood up and cupped her face with his hand, "Even if I'm gone, thru this ring, I can still protect you, remember that" and he kissed her forehead. She's confused on his words "What do you mean?" she noticed that he's starting to fade. _

_"Alex" she heard someone's calling her again, "Alex, wake up!" wake up? She thought but I'm awake._

She felt an electricity ran thru her body which made her jolted awake, she slowly open her eyes and saw Rurik's worried expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" he worriedly asked

Mai still confused from what happen "Yeah... What happen?"

"You've been crying on your sleep, and I'm trying to wake you up but you won't budged so I apply some PK on you" he explained, "You've been sleeping for two days!"

She immediately rose from her bed "WHAT?!" she heard her stomach growled, both of them laugh "Right! I'm hungry"

"We'll be waiting for you downstairs"

She nodded at her assistant, but before he can leave the room she asked "Ru... Is it possible that the psychic energy or abilities can be transferred to an object?"

She saw him softly smiled "That's... one of Ryuu's major research. But, he didn't get any conclusion, he's still on the hypothesis and experimental stage when he... when he passed away, so I can't say it possible or impossible" he said.

"I see... I don't know he's making that kind of experiment. Thanks for telling me"

"Oh and one more thing, the object that Ryuu's been using on his experiment, was the ring that he gave when proposed to you" he added and left the room.

* * *

Both teams are setting up the equipment on the trailer van when two cars arrived, it was Gene and the others who went for training. They looked so tired, especially Bou-san and John.

"Great! Everyone is here." they all stopped from chattering when they saw Mai on the front door. They all greeted her, Ayako and the others are worried when they know that she's been sleeping for two days. Gene ran towards her and hugged her "I miss you! They said that you've been sleeping for two days, what happen?"

She smiled "Nothing much... I'm just tired these last few weeks" she looked at Gene and the others who went out to trained, she giggled "How was your training? Did you experience hell?" she teased.

"Hell is an understatement! We thought we're gonna die!" Bou-san and Gene whined

Lin closed the trailer van, the equipment are now set, and they should be going. Mai noticed that her team will be driving their own cars, "Hey! You're driving your own car? Then me too –"

"No Alex" Sashura stopped her "Go with the SPR, they might get lost"

"But we should discussed the information –"

"We already discussed it" Rurik said "We already discussed it yesterday. That's why you should go with them, so that Oliver can discuss it to you"

Mai sighed "Fine. But make sure to stay close with us, okay?"

"Yes, we will"

* * *

Lin drive the van, his brother ride with them and now sitting on the passenger seat, they are talking in their native language, so maybe they don't want the others to know what they are talking about.

"Mai" Naru called, she's sitting beside him. She heard someone giggled and obviously it was the people sitting on the back seat "What?"

"These are the information we gathered" he handed him the folders which contains the information; she quickly read it "The village which the house was built, existed for more than 900 years. The real estate company said that, there's a volcanic eruption happened before which caused the original village to disappear –" Naru was interrupted by ringing of Mai's cellphone

"Yes?"

_"Alex"_

"Sashura, what's up?"

_"I will catch up on you later"_

"Something happened?" she worried

_"No. It's just that, I told the publishing company earlier that I already finished my new novel"_

"And?"

_"And they told me to bring it to them immediately now"_

_"Mine too, Alex. The company is eager to have my articles"_ Vlad inserted, it was a call conference for the three of them.

Mai sighed, she can't do anything about that, Sashura is one of the most demand novelist not only in Russia, and Vlad is one of the trusted journalist "Fine. See you later" she hanged up the phone

"Continue Naru" she ordered the young man who's been staring at her while she's on the phone. Naru wanted to asked what was that about but controlled his self, he opened his mouth but another ring was heard, he inwardly scowled.

"Yes?" Mai answered in somewhat irritated voice, she heard a lot of voice in the background.

_"Alex, please go on to the location first. I will first handle these annoying reporters and sudden interviews from the media"_

Mai blinked "And how did you encountered the reporters?"

Rurik nervously chuckled _"I planned to stop on the office to get some notes, but I was shocked seeing them on the lobby, and I can't run now. Call you later!"_

And Mai heard the dial tone "What was that?" she asked herself

"So Mai, can I continue now?" Naru asked

She nodded.

"As I've said earlier, a volcanic eruption happened before which caused the original village to disappear, and later on, the village that we're going now was built" he finished

"That's odd. Why they didn't tell us about this information when we went to asked them before?" Mai bewildered

"They wanted to keep it a secret to the Russians" Madoka answered her. Mai silently disagreed to that.

"Lin, turn left" Mai instructed to Lin.

He turned left just like what Mai said. The village was silent when they entered. There are many houses, but there are no people walking around, or kids playing. Lin stopped the van in front of a huge Spanish style home. The members came out from the van, they looked around and found some of their neighbors peeking from their windows.

"This place is sure a creepy one" Madoka commented and clung to Lin's arm.

Naru knocked the door, and their client welcomed them with his fifteen years old sister – who blushed seeing him.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Davis. I've prepared the room for your base"

Naru told them to bring the equipment and set up the base. He asked the landlord to come with them to the base for an interview.

"Oh my god! Are you Xandra Irina?" his sister surprisingly asked Mai

She smiled and nodded "Yes. I am"

"Can I have your autograph, please?"

"Sure. But after the interview"

She happily nodded.

* * *

Four cars stopped in front of a huge Spanish style house. Four men descended from their own cars and looked around the village. "The village was lively as ever, the same from before" Kir commented

Sashura nodded "Yeah. It looks like nothing happened. Even the house was the same"

"I haven't seen the van anywhere" Vlad said as he tried to look for the IPR trailer van

"That's odd. They should've arrived by now"

A woman approached the group "Oh, I thought you were familiar but aren't you the young men from before?" she asked

The men looked at each other "Before?" Rurik asked

The woman nodded "Yes. From four years ago... I think? When you were investigating that house" she pointed the house of their client

"Ah! You're that woman who warned us not to enter the house, right?" Alexander exclaimed as he remember where she met the woman

She smiled "Yes" her eyes saddened "I heard you lost an important friend from that case before. I'm sorry" she softly said

They smiled at her "It's not your fault"

"So are you investigating here again?" she asked

They nodded "I see... Be careful" she sincerely said, and walked away.

Rurik knocked on the front and they greeted their client but instead "I thought you will never come" he said

"What do you mean by that? Oliver Davis and Alex should've been here already" Vlad said

"But no one came"

"What?!" the men exclaimed together. Rurik hastily took his phone, and dialed her number.

* * *

At the base, Naru was reviewing his notes from the interview earlier.

"It's odd" Yasuhara said, they looked at him waiting for him to continue "I mean, they bought the house three years ago, so why they experience these kind of things now?" he asked emphasizing the 'now'

Naru and Mai are both thinking "You're right. That makes sense" the two of them said together.

"Do you feel something Gene and Hara-san?" Naru asked the two

Masako and Gene concentrate their senses "I feel some, but they are hiding" Masako said

"And you?" Naru asked his brother

"They love to play hide and seek" he answered him with a smile

Mai's cellphone ring, she answered it and heard Rurik's panicked voice _"Alex, where are you?!"_

"Where, you asked? Of course on the client's house"

_"We are also here"_

"Then come to the base"

_"What do you mean come to the base? The landlord told us that you never came"_

Mai immediately stood up, the others looked at her with a confused look, and she put her phone on a speaker mode "What do you mean by that?"

_"Excatly what I mean, Alex. Vlad and the others are talking to the landlord"_

"Hey, Oliver just finished his interview to the house owner" the person on the line was silent, so as Mai.

"Jou-chan, what's happening?" Bou-san worriedly asked

"Vlad and the others came, but the landlord told them that he's been waiting for us, but we never came"

"What?!"

"Ru... come to the base" she ordered "It's the same place that we used as the base before"

_"Okay"_ after a moment _"I'm here, and it's empty"_

"Impossible! We are here!" Ayako exclaimed

"That's not funny man!" Bou-san raised his voice

_"I'm not joking!"_

Mai and Naru are looking at each other, both mentally asking what's going on.

_"Hey Alex, if you're on the base, did you see a portrait of the house hanged on the wall?"_

"Yes. Ayako and Bou-san are looking at it now"

She heard him gasped _"Me too"_

They heard a static on the other line _"Alex... get... out... -rous"_ and the line was cut.

Mai was in her thoughts when someone knocked at their door, Yasu opened it and saw the landlord's sister

"What do you want young lady?"

"I want to have an autograph to Xandra" she said sweetly, she ran towards Mai, she reached her notebook to her "Please sign here"

Mai smiled "Okay" she opened the notebook and gasped, she dropped it when she saw what was written in there with a human blood** 'You are back, with the people who killed your parents'**

"Rin! Pyou! Tou! Sha! Kai! Djin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!" Ayako and Gene do the kuji to the girl.

The house echoed her high pitched scream from the pain and vanished after giving Mai a deathly glare.

* * *

Rurik and the others are still in the house, thinking on what's going on. They are on the house, so as the others but they didn't see or feel them. They ran to the place where Mai said their base was set up when they heard a painful scream.

"Do you feel anything?" Rurik asked the others

All of them shook their heads. Vlad found a notebook on the floor and cursed under his breath when he read what was written in human blood. Sashura and others gasped from horror.

"Xander, check if you can find a fingerprint from this. Sashura, I want you to look deeper on this notebook" Rurik ordered them

"Roger!"

_What the hell is going on?_ They all thought


End file.
